Where the Light Lies Sonic Amy Shadow
by CaroAmy
Summary: She slowly walks down the road thinking about her life. She's 16. She's stronger, more attractive, and with a bigger personality. She can change her life. Little does she know that she will... ShadAmy/SonAmy
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Sonic, Shadow, Amy or any other SEGA characters in this story, they all belong to Sonic Team.

Where the light lies

Prologue-

A female shadow sulked down the streets at dusk. Occasionally the people who were also walking down the street would look at the owner of the shadow and frown, for her face was deeply marked by thought. No one came close to her though, and no one bother to ask her what was wrong, so the owner of the shadow kept walking. Her face didn't scare any of the people around her and nor did her small body. Her jade green eyes were fixed on the ground she was walking and her lips were pursed together. The concrete floor seemed to have no end just as her thoughts, just as her inner turmoil. With the first sigh of the day, she slowed down to a stop as she reached her apartment building. Had it been a regular day and she would have looked around at her surroundings and admired the colorful shops and small, yet beautiful, garden in front of her yellow four storey apartment building; however, today she simply inserted the key and walked into the lonely corridors of the building.

Instead of walking up the stairs, like she usually did, she took the elevator. Like she expected the elevator was empty, just like the corridor. She entered it and within seconds arrived at the second floor. She inserted her keys to the door on the left with the cute pink and silver carpet with 'welcome!' written on it. With a light push the door jerked open and she went inside. She wasn't in the mood for cooking, which was unusually strange, so she sat down on her couch and opened a book that was set on the coffee table in front of her. A minute hadn't passed when she put the book back down and grabbed the remote control instead. The TV came to life as a soap opera was shown on the screen. 'Great,' she muttered. Immediately her finger touched a numbered button and the image of a news reporter substituted the images of the soap opera. She paid attention for a few minutes but then her mind switched off the real world. Realizing how exhausted she was she turned off the TV and forced her body down the hallway of her medium sized apartment. She didn't even look around to notice the still dirty breakfast plate on the living room table, or the grocery list next to the house phone on a small table. Once she entered her light blue room with a comfortable bed with pink covers she took off her red dress and boots and slipped under her bed's covers with her underwear.

Sleep drifted slowly into her as she grabbed her covers tightly. Fear left and entered her body at times leaving her a strange sense of insecurity. She had nothing to be afraid of a few hours ago, but her future seemed to be planned to change drastically. Or was she making a big deal out of something simple? She was sure she wasn't. Sleep came to her abruptly, like it always does. Her body relaxed and her grip on the bed cover's loosened. The moon was up now and shone brightly. Soft silver stars painted a complex drawing on the skies; a drawing only some people could understand and evaluate.

A short knock was given on Amy's door. A few seconds passed until this gesture was repeated. A few seconds more passed and this gesture was repeated with a small 'Amy' after. The living being standing on the other side of the door knocked again with more force. Letting three seconds pass the living being knocked with a good amount of force and shouted 'Amy' after. The hasty knock and shout shook Amy from her dreamless sleep. Her eyes slowly blinked allowing themselves to get used to the light inside the room. A few sun rays lightened the room. 'What time is it…?' she growled to herself. She left her warm bed and heard someone knock at her door again. Noticing she was still on her under wear she entered her bathroom and took out a robe. She quickly put it on and opened the door. If it had not been for the incidents the day before the pink hedgehog would have gasped in surprise.

"What are you doing here?" She asked with an angered face.

"Guess I came at a bad time. So much for being worried. See you around maybe," a black hedgehog with scarlet highlights gnarled. Amy's natural personality fled into her as she saw the hedgehog step back getting ready to leave.

"Wait…please," she asked in an apologetic manner. The hedgehog turned around and faced her. His sanguine colored eyes stared into hers as he nodded. Amy stood aside to let Shadow in and closed the door behind him. Shadow immediately sat down on her couch without even asking permission causing Amy to sigh. She sat down next to him and held his gaze.

"I saw you leave work yesterday with a tormented face. I was walking down the street when I saw you. I tried to follow you and called out your name twice. You never answered so I left. I was worried though," he informed her with nothing but indifference in his voice.

"Thank you for worrying. I'm sorry I didn't answer. I probably didn't hear you since I don't recall hearing anyone call my name."

"No problem. What happened?"

"Nothing," she lied.

"Fine. If you don't want to talk about it…"

"I do! I do want to talk about it. I'm so sorry… I need to get this off my chest," she told him as tears were slowly starting to form for the first time since the problem began.

"Tell me; what happened?" he asked as Amy scooted closer to him.

"I…I was fired yesterday because they found someone better to replace me," she whispered bitterly as if she didn't want anyone else to hear her words. Her tears began to fall down her face. One by one they dropped on her robe but Amy didn't even try to wipe them. Shadow looked at her with an express less face. Without warning he scooted next to her allowing his legs to touch hers. He embraced her in a warming way. Amy could not help but blush as his grip on her tightened once he sensed one of her tears fall down his back. _It isn't like Shadow to act this way…_ He slowly let go of her and wiped the remaining tears off her face.

"Much better," he nodded with approval. Amy giggled a little.

"I'm unemployed and underage… How am I going to get a new job where I can earn enough to feed myself?" She asked to no one in particular.

"You had a good salary at your old job as a shop employee?"

"Well, it wasn't that good but it was enough. I had money to buy food, clothes and pay the bills."

"Don't worry Amy. I'll help you find a new job. I have to go now but expect me to be back in about an hour," he told her. Amy nodded, sad that he was leaving already. He opened the door and waved his hand. Within a second he was already gone and her door closed. _I wonder where Sonic is…_ she thought as she entered her bedroom.

She took out a soft white spring dress with a red stripe along her waist and red high heeled shoes. She quickly dressed up and went to the bathroom. There she brushed her quills softly and sprayed some perfume. Instead of her usual headband she placed two hair clips, which were hidden and couldn't be noticed on her hair, to keep her hair from covering her eyes. Taking a good look at her visual she nodded and left the bathroom.

She entered the kitchen and opened her refrigerator only to notice that she was very short on food. She wasn't in the mood for shopping so she decided to skip breakfast. She noticed a dirty plate on top of the table in the living room. Quickly, she washed it and placed in where the other cleaned plates were. Feeling tired already, which was unusual, she sat back down on her couch. No more than thirty minutes had passed but that didn't seem to bother her much. The simple fact that she was home alone was sufficient to depress her, even if Shadow was going to be back in another thirty minutes.

Amy looked around her. The living room had its walls painted white, but to add some color Amy hung pictures of her and her friends on various parts of the wall. There was a comfortable black couch that could fit three people in the middle of the room with a wooden coffee table in front of it. A black TV was a few centimeters away from the coffee table allowing it to be in the middle of the couch and TV. At the back of the room near the kitchen door was a wooden table, which matched the coffee table, that could seat up to eight people. On the center of the table there was a yellow jar with colorful flowers in it. The flower that stood out the most though was the perfect white rose on the middle. Around the table there were chairs which matched the table and under the table there was a soft yellow carpet. Behind the couch there was a big window with a small table with a black house phone in front. About two meters away from the table and the window on the wall attached to the window was the door that led into Amy's house. A small black bookcase was near the door. The living room was mostly black and white with a small touch of yellow, but Amy liked it that way. She kept the more cheerful colors for her room and the guest room. A smell of roses filled the living room due to the flowers on the table and Amy's soft perfume. Along with that smell was warmth, a warmth Amy hadn't noticed yesterday because of her problem. She stood up and walked towards the phone. She noticed the grocery list but ignored it. Rapidly she dialed a number she already knew by heart.

_Beep…Beep…Beep…Beep…Beep…Beep…Beep…Beep… Hello you've reached __Sonic's__ house number. Currently I am not home so could you please leave me a message after __t__he beep? Thank you. Beep…_

Amy turned off the phone and sighed. _He's probably out saving the world again._ She sat back down on the couch and turned on the TV. Commercials were on but she paid no attention to them. She heard a light knock on the door and turned off the TV. She rushed to the door expecting it to be Shadow since she hadn't realized fifteen minutes were left before the time he was supposed to show up. She opened the door and saw a blue hedgehog standing outside.

"Hey Amy. I bumped into Shadow and he mumbled something like 'faker Amy's sad so don't you dare hurt her feelings today' at me, so I decided to come check on you. Can I come in?" Sonic informed her all at once. Once she processed all the information, and smiled at Shadow's mumble towards Sonic, she stood aside to allow Sonic in. He sat down on her couch after asking her permission and Amy sat beside him.

"So…what happened?"

"I was fired from my old job," she said trying to sound casual. "I'm all right now though," she lied.

"I bet you are, now that I came check on you," he chuckled cockily. Amy shrugged as she looked at him. Not understanding what her shrug meant Sonic smiled at her as he put an arm around her. She blushed wondering why he was doing that. A few weeks from that day she had promised herself to be more independent, once again, and to stop following Sonic around as much. She had kept her promise and since then Sonic seemed to care for her more. Still, his action bewildered her.

"So… would you like something to drink?" She offered. Sonic nodded and took his arm away. She left to the kitchen and came back minutes later with some fresh lemonade for both of them. Sonic drank it all in one gulp and stared embarrassed at Amy who just giggled.

"Sorry 'bout that. I was just really thirsty, which reminds me that unfortunately I have to get going. I told Tails I'd meet him at his workshop," Amy nodded and took his cup. He waved her goodbye and left. Still thinking about Sonic placing his arm around her she giggled and blushed. She smiled at herself glad that her mood was improving. A light knock was heard once again and Amy ran towards the door. She pulled it open and allowed Shadow in once again. He was carrying two bags with him.

"Where'd you go?" She asked curiously as she closed the door. He placed the bags on top of the coffee table and turned to her.

"I saw Sonic leave when I was about to enter your apartment. Why did the faker come here?" He asked coldly.

"He told me what you mumbled to him and asked me what was wrong. I kind of lied to him, but that doesn't matter right now. Where did you go and what are these bags?" It did matter that she had lied though. For Shadow it mattered. He felt a perk of happiness at the knowledge that Amy had been more honest with him than Sonic. She could have done it because she didn't want to worry Sonic though, but Shadow preferred to not think of that as an option.

"I went to the mall and bought a few things, including a newspaper to help you find a new job," he enlightened her. Amy's smile widened and her eyes shone with happiness as she ran to hug the ebony colored hedgehog. Shadow blushed slightly but controlled his features. _Why the hell am I blushing? _He asked himself. Amy let go of the hug and directed herself to the bags. She opened the first one and saw the newspaper. She quickly took it out of the bag and turned to a specific page. Carefully she skimmed through it and a few jobs caught her eye.

"While you look for a new job I'll be in the kitchen," he warned her. She nodded in approval and resumed skimming the page. Without asking for permission Shadow served himself with a cup of lemonade. He drank it slowly as he pondered about lunch. _Damn it… I forgot to buy eggs for the cake. I just hope she has some_. He thought to himself. He quickly ran to the living room and grabbed the bags and ran back to the kitchen. He immediately began working on making lunch without Amy really realizing it. Amy had scanned the paper endless times and was only able to circle five jobs. One job that she was capable of doing was to work as a hairdresser, the other one would be to work at a hairdresser but she would in charge of the makeup, the other job was to work as a babysitter, the other one (which she didn't particularly like) was to work as a maid, and the last job was to work at a beach bar. She liked the last job best but it wouldn't give her a lot of money, especially during winter. While she was looking at the addresses for each job Shadow came in the room with a plate full of food. Amy abruptly stretched her feet causing Shadow to trip and yell. He was able to grab the plate with some food, but accidently some of it had fallen off.

"Shadow! Look at this mess! Why did you do this?! I'm already stressed out because of the job and now I have to clean up a mess I didn't make!" She yelled as she took food off her dress.

"Amy…" He started.

"Don't you dare come up with excuses! Maybe I should have told Sonic the truth. Maybe this wouldn't have happened if he had stayed or something!" She yelled louder than Shadow thought she was capable of. Anger rose inside his chest as he heard her pronounce _his_ name.

"Just go after the blue faker and leave me alone then. And don't bother going into the kitchen if you're that mad at me for no good reason," he yelled as he prepared himself to leave.

"Don't you tell me what to do in **my** house!"

"Damn it Amy! Sometimes you just don't get it," he fiercely yelled as he closed the door behind him leaving Amy alone. She stomped into the kitchen and looked at the clean counter. She wondered what Shadow had meant by the kitchen comment, but the thought vanished once she heard her oven beep. She opened it and took out a plate that was inside it. Slowly she placed it on top of the counter and gasped as she realized what Shadow had made.

_Just wanted to tell you that I care a lot for you_

She started blankly at the pink cream written message on top of the chocolate cake. Her tears began to form once again on the corner of her eyes. She looked back at the living room and saw the food on the floor. It wasn't left over's as she initially thought they would be when she felt the food fall on top of her. A light salad was on the plate along with some wonderfully looking spaghetti near it. On the floor bits of ham attached to spaghetti were spread, and on her dress only a small piece of ham remained. _Way to go Amy…Shadow shows he cares for probably the first time and you blow it all away…_

Down the street Shadow cursed at himself and wondered if Amy would actually call Sonic after he'd left. _It's not my business anyways…_ He thought sadly to himself.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1-

An azure blur was seen crossing the busy streets of Station Square. Sonic came to an abrupt stop in front of the train station. With a shrug he continued running towards the Mystic Ruins instead of taking the train. Within minutes Sonic was in front of Tails workshop. He entered the workshop without knocking and spotted Tails working on his computer. Tails turned and waved at him but Sonic just sat down on a couch ad began mumbling to himself.

"Hey Sonic, what's the matter? You seemed fine a while ago."

"That idiot. Who does he think he is? I bet he's been going to Amy's house everyday! He was probably the one that convinced her to stop following me around as well…" he kept mumbling. Tails heard this and tilted his face to the left.

"Are you talking about Amy? And…Shadow I would guess?"

"Who else would I be talking about Tails? That hedgehog is probably hitting on Amy right now."

"I thought having Amy following you around bugged you. Why do you…uh miss it?" He asked confused.

"Gee Tails can't you see? I can't stand knowing that idiot is turning Amy against me," Sonic replied angrily.

"Hey no need to talk like that. Could you please tell me what's going on?"

"Amy, a few weeks from today, has stopped following me around all the time and doesn't give me the attention she used to. I get the feeling she still cares about me though. Nonetheless I bet Shadow was the one who told her to back off. He knew Amy was upset today first than I did and I saw him entering her apartment building today when I left. He's…he's…he's taking advantage of her situation!"

"Some of the stuff you said weren't coherent but I think I got what happened. Are you jealous? Just because Shadow and Amy are passing some time together doesn't mean he told her to stop chasing you. Besides, any girl would grow tired of doing that," Tails told his friend honestly.

"Gah Tails! That's not helping! And I'm not jealous!"

"I'm only being honest Sonic, you know that. Really, you aren't jealous? Sure doesn't look like it," Tails sighed. Sonic thought to himself and realized that he was a little jealous and he did miss the hugs Amy used to give him every time she had an opportunity. _Ah well, I just need to get her off my mind, right?_

"I guess I'll just have to look for a girl of my own!" Sonic chuckled. "Amy can stay with Shadow for all I care," he lied to Tails and himself. Tails shook his head knowing that his best friend was lying, but decided to stay quiet. He returned to his computer and resumed working on a project he was beginning. It included a new plane designed by Tails, which he named Hail, and a chaos emerald. It took a while for Sonic to realize that Tails wasn't listening to his mumblings any longer.

"Hey pal, sorry. What are you working on?"

"A new project. I finally finish Hail and now I want to try to see if I am capable of using a chaos emerald to teleport the plane, with all the passengers, to another place. It would be rather helpful."

"But the why do we need the plane?" Sonic asked confused.

"Because the Chaos Emerald will take time until it is able to teleport anything anywhere so we have the plane as our second transport. Also, in case we get stuck or lose the Chaos Emerald, we have another way to come back home."

"Intelligent," Sonic complimented Tails with a thumbs up.

Meanwhile Amy was taking a hot warm bath on her bathtub as she processed the day's events. Sonic's appearance, the way he put his arm around her, Shadow's help, the whole conflict with the food, the cake Shadow had baked her… She found both hedgehogs very sweet, on their own way of being. She still felt very strongly towards Sonic, just not as much. Part of this was due to his lack of attention towards her, but after today she thought that maybe her future could change. _Maybe Sonic will love me and marry me! _She giggled as she threw some soap bubbled to the air. Then Shadow flashed in her mind. _Shadow…_ a feeling of warmth surrounded her body as she thought of the ruby eyed hedgehog. _What is it in him that makes me feel this way?_ She saw Shadow as a friend, a very good friend. He seemed to care and worry for her more than some of her friends, yet Sonic had cared and worried today as well… In order to stop thinking about this about held her breath and dived her head into the hot water. When she was out of breath she brought her head slowly up to the surface. She finished washing herself and left the bathtub. Drying herself with a soft blue towel she watched the water slowly disappear from the bathtub. Although it was only a little past noon Amy dressed up in her pajamas and went to the living room. She picked up the newspaper and headed towards the phone. She dialed the beach bar number and waited.

_Beep… Beep… _

_"Hello?" _A female voice asked from the other side of the line.

"Hello, this is Amy Rose speaking. I happened to see your add on the newspaper and it seemed like a good opo—" Amy began.

"If you want a job interview come tomorrow at the bar at around 10:30 in the morning. Thank you and see you tomorrow." The person hung up and left Amy with a stunned face.

"Okay…See you tomorrow…" She said to no one. As she put her phone back in place it rang. She answered it and heard a giggle in the background.

"Hey Amy, Tails, Cream and I are at his workshop having some fun. I was wondering if you would like to join us?" Sonic asked from the other side of the line. Amy was in no mood for parties, but a slight hope that Sonic would want her to come let a 'yes' slip her mouth.

"Great! See you in a while." He hung up. Amy shook her head and walked to her bedroom. She changed into her usual red dress and boots, she quickly got her headband from the bathroom and put it on, and she brushed her quills.

"So much for staying home and resting," she told herself. She left the apartment building slowly and walked down the still busy streets. She reached the train station and took the fast train to the Mystic Ruins, from there she ran to Tails workshop. Sonic was outside the door looking at the clouds. He seemed to be waiting for someone.

"Glad you could make it," he told her once he saw her approaching. Amy smiled. When she was about to enter the house Sonic put himself in front of the door. "Wait, I want to show you something." He held her up and ran to a place Amy couldn't identify because the objects they past looked like mere blurs. He stopped suddenly in front of a white rose. He let Amy go and picked up the delicate rose. Amy stood there watching him in surprise as he handed the rose to her. With a faint blush she accepted it and hugged Sonic with all her force. _How much I actually missed this…_ He thought to himself as he hugged her back.

"I'm so glad you're my friend," she whispered.

"I'm glad you're mine," he whispered back. He wished he was something more to her, but apparently he wasn't or she didn't want to tell him. Although this made him a little sad he did not let this feeling control his actions or thoughts.

"Follow me," he told her as he ran up a small hill.

"Wait up Sonic! I can't run as fast as you!" She yelled at him cheerfully as she ran towards him. Just as she was just a few centimeters from catching him Sonic turned around and faced Amy. Their noses touched causing them both to flush, especially Sonic. _Kiss her, kiss her, just forget about everything and kiss her…_ he told himself, yet his body wouldn't respond. Amy blinked twice as she gazed into his eyes.

The rose in her hand fell delicately to the floor as Sonic's lips touched Amy's for the first time. She smelled like flowers and her touched left Sonic wanting more from her. Their tongues intertwined with each other and their eyes closed in pleasure, Sonic pushed Amy against him. She was enjoying the moment, yet one thought wouldn't leave her mind…


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2-

_Shadow…_ she thought. She pulled away from the kiss and looked serenely into Sonic's eyes. She still had feelings for him, but even after that kiss she knew they were disappearing quickly. One day only friendship would remain. _Why did he have to love me now? _She asked herself. She didn't want to play with his heart, so she grabbed the rose that had fallen and gave it back to Sonic.

"Keep it, and always remember our friendship," she whispered as she ran off leaving Sonic alone. Sonic controlled his tears as he saw his pink hedgehog run away from him and not to him. _Damn it…why did I realize this too late? _He kicked the ground furiously and wondered if Shadow had anything to do with this. _No…if he had Amy would have told me. She's honest. I guess her feelings towards me are just fading __a way__… I need to find a way to change this situation. Amy… _he ran at light speed back to Tails workshop and found his friend talking happily to Cream. Cream would giggle once in a while when Tails stood up and moved his arms while he was talking. It was cute watching the two friends have a good time, yet this made Sonic feel empty on the inside. Amy had run away from him while Cream stood by Tails's side. _Now you're being pathetic…their just friends. _

"Hey Cream, did you see Amy leave by any chance?" Sonic asked as he approached them.

"I did see her run to the train station and called out good-bye, but she never answered. Is she okay Mr. Sonic?"

"I don't know, but I hope she is…" he entered the workshop and sat down on the couch, sulking.

"_The train parting for Station Square will be departing soon,_" a woman announced. Amy entered the train and sat down on a blue seat with a window view. She sighed as she saw the workshop from the window. Yellow, blue and cream dots were seen near it, but the blue dot disappeared into the workshop a few seconds later. With nothing to comfort her except herself Amy hid her head on her hands. Her world seemed ablaze with new events, new feelings and discoveries. Her first kiss had been with the one hedgehog she always wished would be, yet she did not love him any longer. The crush remained and she was aware of that, but the love had fallen like an old leaf. _Maybe he'll make me love him again…maybe…_ she told herself before falling asleep on the train.

Rocking her back and forth like a baby in a cradle, putting her silently to sleep with a caring smile on the face, slowly mumbling soft sentences that would be remembered and repeated in the future, the softness of the blanket around her and the comfort and security which imprisoned her to her dreams. 'Amy… please,' a soft voice would call as she smiled in her sleep. Still rocking back and forth, still feeling safe and comfortable, still feeling loved and cared for. 'Amy it is time…' still no impatience in the tone. The rocking ended yet the blanket still surrounded her and the sentences and bliss continued to surround her. Now she was being carried by secure arms. Taking her from the cradle to a big bed where security would be tighter. Her dreams still followed her as she held on to the soft blanket. It was so soft that it indeed seemed like fur. 'Amy, please,' the soft voice continued to sing her name like a children's song. When she felt her body had rested she tried to pull the blanket away but as her eyes slowly opened and ceased to see everything blurry she faced a soft chest. Looking p she did not see a maternal figure.

"Shadow?" She asked still trying to focus on his face.

"No matter how much you pissed me off I couldn't let you stay in the train. I found you by a mere coincidence, thought you were unconscious at first. We're here," he told her as he pointed to her apartment building. He dropped her on her feet and started at her.

"Guess that's my cue to go inside and weep…" she murmured to herself hoping Shadow hadn't heard, but he had.

"Why would you go inside and weep?" He asked slightly confused.

"Well…it seems like one of the things I do best. I'm just confused; a lot has been going on. Thank you, Shadow."

"No problem, as for—"

"The cake looked wonderful, but I didn't try it," she interrupted him. Shadow looked down trying to prevent Amy from deciphering what he was feeling. _She didn't even take a bite…_ He thought sadly to himself. She took his hand and held it, interrupting his thoughts.

"I was hoping I could try it with you. That way it would be even more special," she let out. Taken by surprise Shadow chuckled, something he rarely did. Encouraged by his soft and short chuckle Amy directed him towards the apartment building and up the stairs. She opened the door and let the black hedgehog in

The ebony hedgehog made himself comfortable on the couch and closed his eyes as he waited for Amy. Amy appeared with two white plates with a flowery border with cake on them. She handed one of the plates to Shadow and also gave him a fork. She sat down next to him and began eating.

"This is wonderful! Where did you learn to cook this?" She asked surprised.

"I had to learn to cook sooner or later since I live alone. All I had to do was follow the recipe instructions," he answered as he chewed some cake.

"Shadow? I just wanted to tell you that…uh… I care a lot for you too," she confessed as she looked at him. A little red shadow was visible on her cheeks. _She looks so hot when she blushes…_Shadow couldn't help thinking. Accidentally a little piece of cake fell on Amy's dress just above the area where her breasts were. Shadow reached the area and caressed it as he took the piece of cake off her dress. He smirked at her once he was done.

"Pervert…" she mumbled have mad half embarrassed. Shadow couldn't help but keep smirking at her. Once they were done Amy took the plates to the kitchen and Shadow gladly followed her. When she was cleaning them in the sink Shadow hugged her from behind, leaving some space between them though, and caused Amy to turn a bright scarlet color. Aware that she was blushing he moved closer to her. He was close enough to smell her soft and sweet perfume. Knowing that if she turned around their noses would touch Amy remained with her back towards Shadow. _Please move, please move, please… I don't understand what's wrong with me!_ She thought to herself, yet her inside was aching for her to turn around and kiss the hedgehog that was showing feelings towards her. Under his breath Shadow was hoping she would turn around, even though he knew the outcome could be disastrous. _I can't resist, but I've got to…I don't want her mad at me damn it… She still likes that faker anyways._ He let go, resisting his urge to kiss her.

"Sorry. I'll be going. Thanks for the cake." With no further conversation he just turned around and left the kitchen. Noticing that Amy wasn't going after him to say good-bye he left the apartment. _So close…yet so far…_

Amy left the plates in the sink and entered her bathroom. She opened the shower faucet so that the hot water could begin running and undressed. When she thought the water was at the right temperature she entered the shower and began washing herself. Her bathroom window, which didn't allow anyone to see into the shower, was slightly opened so Amy could hear someone singing outside. Amy stopped the shower so she could hear the words.

_"I'm so close, to having you in my arms, to show you all my love… I'm so close, to reaching my happy ending, to fulfill my dreams… I only need a second chance… I'm so close, but you are still far…"_

With a tear nearly falling Amy opened the shower again and continued washing herself. Once the hot water made her sleepy she turned off the water and dried herself with a fluffy pink towel. She went to her closet and took out her pajamas and some underwear. Quickly she dressed up. With no mood for cooking an early dinner she hoped into bed. I was only 7:00 but Amy fell into a soft sleep within minutes.

_"Hey Amy… I'm sorry for…you know, what happened at the kitchen," Shadow apologized as he held her hands. Amy's heart beat faster as she cherished every touch Shadow was giving her. Releasing every thought about how she could regret this moment, she followed her instincts and hugged Shadow with much care and strength. Shadow looked at her and as their faces are drawn together Sonic appears._

_"Sure…keep Amy. Guess you won at something for the first time," Sonic yelled full of jealousy and fury. Amy stopped closing in on Shadow and looked back to see a blue hedgehog running away._

_"Sonic! No… we didn't kiss…"_

_"You still have feelings for that faker… I didn't know. See you around, Amy Rose," and like a magic spell Shadow disappeared._

_"Shadow…"_

Amy jumped awake. Her breath was coming rapidly and sweat covered her forehead. She quickly glanced at the clock. 9:30. The dream came back to her and caused her to yell with anger and sadness at the same time. She slowly got up and dressed her usual dress and boots. Sitting down on top of the bed she clutched her hand and let her tears fall freely down her soft face. Feeling her throat sore and her eyes swollen and itchy, she moved to the bathroom to wash her face. When she washed it she saw her sad reflection on the mirror. Her quills were down as if they had been brushed followed by her ears which were also folded down. Her eyes left half open and her mouth completely shut.

"Yeah…they're really going to hire someone who looks like this..." she told herself. Careful not to trip on herself she entered the kitchen and prepared a small breakfast. The breakfast consisted of chocolate milk and scrambled eggs. She quickly ate the eggs and drank the milk and returned to the bathroom to brush her teeth and hair. At ten to ten she was ready to leave. With the same sad look on her face she picked up her bag and left.


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3-

The orange and red painted walls matched the orange counter with red chairs. Round glass tables were surrounded by white couches in the back of the room while in the middle small glass tables with white high chairs were placed. A few windows allowed the sunshine to lighten the room but the most powerful source of light was the white oval ceiling lamp. The mood of the bar was a cheerful one along with the mood of the waiter and bartender. Once Amy stopped looking around the bar she noticed a woman sitting down on one of the tables. She headed towards the woman and stared at her.

"Excuse me, are you the owner of this beach bar?" Amy politely asked. The woman turned around and scanned Amy from top to bottom.

"Yes I am. Allow me to introduce myself, and please take a seat. My name is Lynne Watson. I believe we spoke yesterday by phone? I was rather rude and I do wish to apologize; I was just in a very big hurry. So, could you please introduce yourself, say how old you are and tell me why you want this job or be good at it."

"My name is Amy Rose and I'm sixteen years old. I would like to have this job because I have been replaced by someone with more experience on my older job, and I do have some papers you might want to look at, an since I live alone and have no relatives who are able to pay for my bills and other things I need to have a job. I believe I would be good at this job because I am not very clumsy and I learn quickly, I would always come to work cheerfully and I'd always try my best," Amy told Lynne as she took out a few papers from her bag.

"Very well, I'll look over these papers later. What was your old job?"

"I worked at a clothes shop at the mall. The shop is called _Matching_. I was the sales woman so I helped people find what they were looking for among other things. Besides that I never worked anywhere else. A few days ago they found a person that had more experience so they fired me and she got my job."

"I see. Kind of frustrating huh? Well, if you could please leave your number with me then I'll call you at the end of the week. If you got the job you'll know immediately. Best of luck!" Lynne told Amy as they shook hands. Amy stood up and left the bar which was starting to fill up. It was still Tuesday so she would probably have to wait until Saturday or Sunday to get an answer. Luckily she had enough money to stay two months without a job. She walked out of the bar and saw the beach. A black and blue spot were seen near the water walking down. Amy looked closer to make sure she was seeing right. Not only did she see Sonic and Shadow but a white hedgehog in the middle of them and by the way it walked and was dressed it was defiantly female. Jealousy bit Amy, yet she didn't know for whom.

Startled she decided to follow the three hedgehogs. None of them was wearing beachwear and Sonic wouldn't defiantly go swimming. _So just what are they doing her…and with her?!_ She thought to herself. Deciding that it was nothing of her business she sat down on the soft sand and closed her eyes. Various sounds came into her mind. The waves crashing nearby, the seagull flying over and singing its trademark song, children happily playing with each other, and giggles. _Giggles?!_ She opened her eyes and saw the white hedgehog of about her age, or maybe one year older, staring at her with a ball made out of sand. Amy looked around and saw neither Sonic nor Shadow. _Just what does she want?_

"Can I help you?" Amy asked with serious eyes. The white hedgehog kept staring at her. Impatient Amy stood up and turned to walk away. Just then she felt sand on the back of her legs and hair. _Oh, you did not just throw that…_

"What was that for?!" Amy yelled as she violently turned around. The giggling hedgehog stopped giggling and stared at the pink hedgehog.

"I'm Sara. Nice to meet you Amy Rose. I was hanging out with Sonic and Shadow when I saw you here sitting down. They went inside the bar to buy drinks so I decided to stop by and say hi."

"Why? I never even saw you before," she said in an unusual tone for her.

"Don't be so mean Amy."

"Sure. You just threw a ball made out of wet and soft sand to my back and you expect me to be what? Happy? You're lucky I didn't bring my Piko Piko hammer today," she violently retorted.

"Oh the sand ball was only a joke. Gee, didn't know you were so serious. Maybe you're like this because I'm hanging out with your hero and love Sonic and your special, and maybe something more, friend Shadow," Sara said with a smirk. Irritated by her comment Amy clutched her hands and walked away. She didn't even notice Shadow and Sonic with their drinks nearby hearing the last sentences Sara had pronounced.

"What was Amy doing here?" Sonic asked a little worried.

"Don't know," Shadow replied as he kept walking towards Sara.

_Fine.__ If they want to be with that____hedgehog then I'll leave them alone! __Pathetic.__ Now I bet they'll even fight to be with her_. She thought furious at herself for leaving that way. She relaxed her hands and began walking slower. Realizing she was overreacting she looked back. The black and blur spots were alone which meant Sara had either left of they had left her. _'Your hero and love Sonic and your special, and maybe something more, friend Shadow'_. The words echoed in Amy's head as she stopped looking at the two hedgehogs which had just gone separate ways. She couldn't really figure out what Shadow was to her. Sure, he was a great friend but he was always distant and cold, yet Amy knew that was his personality.

Her lock gave in once the key turned and the door opened. She stepped inside her living room and closed the door behind her. With a couple of hours before lunch Amy decided to just relax and maybe watch some TV. Once she saw her CD player though, her mind changed. Without even knowing which CD was inside she clicked play and turn up the volume. Within seconds music started to play. Before Amy could figure out what music was playing, since she wasn't paying very much attention, she was lying down on her couch with her eyes closed.

_"It's amazing how you can speak right to my heart… Without saying a word, you can light up the dark…"_ As those words entered Amy's mind she opened her eyes and immediately jumped off the couch. Like a five year old Amy had a big smile on her face as she recognized the beautiful song. She began dancing slowly by herself as she let the lyrics enter her heart and dreams go through her mind.

"The smile on your face lets me know that you need me, there's a truth in your eyes saying you'll never leave me, the touch of your hand says you'll catch me wherever I fall… you say it best, when you say nothing at all…" she sang along passionately. Her body moved slowly as the song entered her ears, and her lovely voice sang along. She knew the lyrics by heart.

When the song ended Amy sat down on the couch. The smile upon her face was still shining but she was tired. The second track of the CD was beginning. It was also a slow song. As the song slowly developed Amy's eyes gave in to sleep.

The distant sound of a phone ringing woke up Amy from a dreamless sleep. Yawning, she got off the couch and directed herself towards the house phone. Before picking up the handle she looked at her watch. 3:02 pm.

"Hello?"

"Amy? It's Sonic. I saw you at the beach earlier today and you seemed a little down. Is something wrong?" Sonic's voice was heard from the other side.

"Oh yeah… no everything's fine. Thank you for worrying though!" She exclaimed as she remembered what had happened.

"Okay, I'm glad everything's all right. Shadow and I accidentally bumped into one another and were talking, well you know our conversations, anyway and he heard someone ask for help. This white hedgehog told us she was dehydrated and asked for help so we ran to a bar to buy some drinks. When we came back we saw you standing there talking to her and then you left. The weird thing though is how she walked all the way from down the beach to where you were. If she was as dehydrated as she claimed she was she wouldn't be able to walk up to where you were. Anyways, we gave her the drinks and left. I still looked around for you but didn't see you anywhere," Sonic explained quickly.

"Well I'm really happy you cared. I'm fine really. I just left because that hedgehog wasn't that friendly to me."

"I see. I have to go, sorry. See you around," and he hung up. Amy sighed half happy that Sonic had called her and was worried half sad because he hadn't told her this personally. She looked around the living room and saw little bits of sand on the floor. _I forgot I was full of sand on my back… I better go take a shower and clean up this mess after._

"Just what did that girl mean by 'and your special, and maybe something more, friend Shadow'?" Shadow murmured to himself as he walked the packed streets of Station Square. He was looking for the train station. He saw apartment buildings around him wherever he went but still there was no sign of the hotel, Twinkle Park or the train station. He kept walking until he saw a news stand. He sprinted to the stand and stopped when the middle aged woman that was selling newspapers stared at him intensely. He looked at his left and spotted Twinkle Park. _Finally_. He ran to a big building which he recognized as the train station.

"And now for Westopolis. I need to leave this town."


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4-

_Three days later…_

Shadow stared at the white building in front of him. The annoying mixture of the sound of a loud speaker and the buzzing sound created by the metallic wheels touching the rails filled the inside of the building and could partially be heard from the outside.

_Should I or should I not?_

While his common sense told him to walk away and return to his usual desolate spot which for the last three days he had called home, part of him told him to race back to the city he left behind.

_Is it the city or the…?_

A small chuckle from behind him cut through his thoughts. From the corner of his eye he spotted a blue hedgehog behind him. His desire to talk with that blue hedgehog was well below zero, so Shadow acted as if he hadn't heard the chuckle and stepped forward.

"Walking away won't do any help," Sonic warned.

"Why would I be walking away from you, faker?" he answered as he kept walking forward.

"Maybe because you know you're the real faker, huh? Anyways, I'm not here to fight. Amy asked me to tell you something. She got a new job and wants to thank you. Not that I like to see you around her, I still think you should come by and tell her you're all right. She's been looking for you. Don't ask me why though. Since the message has been sent I'll be on the move now. See you some other time."

As the blue silhouette disappeared Shadow stared at the white building in front of him once again. It was a brick, white, two storey building, he noticed. _Similar to Station Square's…_ The thought left his mind as quickly as it had appeared. Although Sonic's comment on Amy had disturbed him a little, Shadow believed that returning would only harm her more. With a swift turn he sprinted away from the white building.

Carefully, she stepped out of the bathtub and embraced herself in a comfortable white towel. Ignoring her fluffy blue slippers she walked past the bathroom door and entered her light blue room. On top of her bed was a short light blue dress with a black lace with a ribbon, underwear and a light blue headband. Calmly she put on her brand new uniform and tied the black lace with the ribbon around her waist. The black ribbon was in front and added an elegant touch to the uniform. Just as calmly she grabbed a pair of matching blue high heeled shoes and put them on. Then she picked up the headband and walked to the bathroom once again. She quietly combed her hair and then placed the headband on her hair. Taking a good look at herself she noticed that her new shoes made her look at least five centimeters taller. Happy with the way she looked she skipped out of the bathroom and into the kitchen where she grabbed a mug with lemon tea and drank it. Her kitchen clock read 9:00 am so Amy placed her mug in the sink and ran towards the door. _I can't be late for my first day of work! I have to be there at 9:15 am! _

Sitting down on a stool in a coffee shop, Tails was reading something on a small card while his two tails waggled. The golden card had perfect silver letters on it and seemed to be no ordinary birthday, get better, or valentine's card. In fact it looked like an invitation. Moments after Tails finished reading the card and ordered a cup of lemonade; Sonic entered the coffee shop and sat on a stool in front of Tails.

"Just came back from Westopolis. The guy sure didn't seem to care if Amy is worried about him or not," Sonic immediately told his best friend.

"Well he is Shadow after all… Look at what I received," he answered as he handed Sonic the card.

"What's this? _Dear Mr. Miles, you are invited to Station Square's ball this year. It would be wonderful if you could make it. This year's theme will be _Royal_. This means that you will __have to dress in a fairly noble manner. You have been granted two tickets which are attached to this card. One is for and the other for a lady you would enjoy having with you during the night. Our best regards… _ Sounds like fun, except the dress up part. Who are you taking?"

"I was thinking of taking Cream. The ticket says the ball will be the day after tomorrow at 7:30 pm, I hope her mother will let her. You should go see your mail; I bet you received an invitation too!" A waitress appeared and placed a cup full of lemonade and a straw on top of the table and left the two friends alone once again.

"I'm going to do that right now. If I get two tickets I'll be able to ask Amy to go with me," Sonic affirmed as he gave his buddy a thumbs up. Tails nodded and began drinking his lemonade. Like a gust of wind Sonic left the coffee shop.

Once he reached his mail box he skimmed through the fan letters and bills-which he planned on paying soon- until he found an envelope about the size of Tails's card. _This must be it_. He opened the envelope quickly and took out a golden card with two tickets attached to it. With a grin Sonic sped away from the mail box with the card and ran towards the bar Amy now worked at.

"Mr. Shadow!" A voice yelled weakly behind a dark silhouette. "Mr. Shadow!" It yelled again, but this time stronger. "Mr. Shadow!" The voice was growing impatient and stronger. "Mr. Shadow!" It screamed at the top of its vocal cords. To this Shadow responded. He turned to see who was calling him and saw a male human wearing a white t-shirt and a pair of blue jeans with an envelope on his hand.

"What do you want?" Shadow retorted.

"This is for you. It's an invitation," the human answered as he handed the envelope to the hedgehog. Once the hedgehog took it the man ran back the way he come, just like Shadow was expecting he would.

"Pathetic," he murmured. Quickly Shadow opened the envelope and saw a golden card with perfect silver writing on it and one ticket. He quickly read the card and sighed. "_Due to __lack of tickets we were only able to give you one. __Our apologies._ What am I going to do at a ball _alone_? I better go to Station Square and give this to Amy. She'll like it more than I do that's for sure," he grumbled as he walked towards the station for the fifth time that day.


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5-

Gracefully she picked up a glass tray with two drinks on it and walked towards a small glass table that was occupied by three teen-agers. Amy happily handed two of them their drinks and smiled at the third one. Realizing he didn't want anything she walked back to the counter and began preparing a strawberry milkshake for a young girl who was sitting on a chair in a nearby table.

"Hey Amy, I just finished serving the customers outside. Do you need any help?" A waitress wearing the same light blue outfit as Amy asked. She had long light brown hair with soft blond highlights created by the sun and sweet honey eyes. She was probably sixteen of age, and was human.

"Nope. I'm fine in here. It's pretty calm in here so I can handle it alone. Thank you for asking though! By the way, when is our boss coming in?"

"Now that she hired you she probably won't appear as much. Might come once a three times a week if you're lucky. Don't worry though, she has four other waitresses for the other shifts and a part-time one who comes up whenever we need help," she answered.

"I see. I hope I'm doing this right, Chloe," Amy said as she carefully put the glass cup full of strawberry milkshake on top of the tray and picked the tray up.

"You're doing fine, don't worry Amy. I have to go now, sorry. We always need to check if someone needs us outside," Chloe smiled and walked away. With a sigh Amy picked up the tray and walked slowly to the table where the girl was waiting patiently for her milkshake. Once Amy calmly put it in front of her the girl smiled and handed three coins to Amy. 'The last one is the tip,' Amy thought she heard her say. She walked back to the counter when a blue hedgehog with a green towel entered the bar.

"Hey Amy," Sonic saluted her. Amy smiled once she saw her 'blue hero'.

"Hi," she replied from where she was. Sonic sat down on a chair in front of the counter and pretended to study the menu in front of him. Noticing his silence Amy decided to take the menu out of his hands and handed him a cup with strawberry milkshake in it.

"Try it, I just made it," she invited him. With a grin he nodded and picked up the cup. In one big gulp the milkshake that was once in the cup was now making its way to Sonic's stomach.

"It's really good, thank you. Hey, um, Amy... I received an invitation for the city's ball… actually I received two, but anyways, I was wondering if you'd like to go with me… I mean, I did receive two tickets and it would be a waste to through one of them away right? So maybe you'd like to keep it and, you know, go with me?" He proposed rather quickly. Surprised by his proposal Amy smiled at him.

"I'd love to, but I received a ticket too. I only received one though. I guess you'll have to give it to someone else. I'm sorry. We will see each other at the ball though! It will be lots of fun!" She said with a huge smile on her face. Her jade eyes seem to shine in Sonic's mind. Although he was sad Amy wouldn't go with him since she had also received a ticket his heart raced at the fact that he'd still see her at the ball. _I guess I will waste one ticket…_ he thought to himself.

"Amy, could you come here for a second? I might need help!" Chloe called from outside. Amy immediately left from behind the counter and ran outside leaving Sonic alone back in the bar. With a sly grin Sonic ran from the bar leaving a note and a 50 cent coin behind next to the now empty cup. Once Amy came back inside she noticed the empty seat.

"Sonic! I can't believe he left without paying…" She mumbled to herself. She grabbed the cup and saw the note and coin. "_A small tip for a pretty hedgehog who will be the queen of the city's ball.__From a blue hedgehog who can't rhyme or write poetry._ Oh Sonic…" She smiled to herself as she put the note and coin inside her pocket.

Later that day while Amy was walking home she stopped by the park. Two figures could be seen feeding the birds. Tails and Cream. _Cute love_. Sighing in delights she skipped towards her two friends. She stayed a moment or two behind them, simply watching them. Cream would feed the birds and giggle and Tails would fly after the birds and then come back. Neither of them noticed Amy's presence behind them which Amy found amusing. When she felt it was time to tell them she was behind them she gave one step forwards and threw a little crumb of bread, that had fallen out of Cream's bag, and smiled at the bird that flew to it.

"Amy! I didn't know you were here," Cream cheered. Tails turned around and gave her thumbs up.

"Guess I surprised you!" She said. She failed to notice, however, a shadow behind her. Cream and Tails, however, knew who it was and tried not to laugh when a hand touched Amy's elbow. At the touch of the hand Amy startled and turned.

"Guess I surprised you," Shadow said with a smirk. Giggling Amy stared at Shadow. "Accompany me please. I have something to tell you," he said. At this Amy did not react at first. When she finally understood Shadow wasn't kidding she waved at her friends and walked after him.

"Well, what is it Shadow?" She asked trying not to sound worried.

"I have something to ask you…" he began.

"Are you kidding? I've been so worried about you! I looked everywhere for you! I even asked Sonic to look for you but you never appeared and when you finally do appear it's to ask me a favor? Couldn't you at least tell me how you are, where you've been first?" Amy blurted. Shadow was taken back at Amy's sudden burst but tried not to show it.

"I've been in Westopolis and I'm fine. You didn't need to worry. I know how to take care of myself. How was your first day at work?"

"It was fine thank you. And of course I worry! You're my friend, Shadow…"

"Hmph. The outfit you're wearing, by the way, suits you. You look very ho— nice in it." _Curse you perverted thoughts. Look only at her face._

"Uh, thank you. Let's go over to my place. We can talk there."

"Very well. Chaos Control!" Within seconds they were in front of Amy's apartment door. She nodded in appreciation and opened the door.

"Make yourself comfortable. I'm going to get a cup of tea for myself. Would you like some?" Shadow nodded and sat down on the couch. While Amy entered the kitchen and prepared the tea he was going over ways to formulate the question the brought him there. "Here it is," a cheerful voice woke him up from his thoughts. Shadow reluctantly grabbed the mug in front of him, since he had only accepted her offer to be polite. _Since when do I feel like I should be polite? _

"Thanks. About what I need to ask you… I received an invitation for the ball, only one though, and I don't feel like going. I thought you'd enjoy going so you can have my ticket," he told her as he showed her the ticket. Open mouthed Amy shook her head. Her smile disappeared and her eyes began to close. "Ah… you're already going with the faker aren't you?" Shadow asked as he put the mug on top of the coffee table and began walking towards the door.

"No, I'm not. I received one ticket too, so I'm already going." she said while she stared at the mug on the coffee table.

"I see," he replied as he touched the doorknob.

"But," Amy said as she began turning towards him, "If you go, we could go as a couple…" At this Shadow stuttered. _She wants me to go with her?_

"I…"

"Don't worry. I understand if you don't want to go…" she assured him sadly. He opened the door and sighed.

"I'll pick you up at 7:00 pm," he told her. Not believing what she had just heard she stood up and ran towards the door just in time to see Shadow walk down the stairs.

"Don't be late," she asked. He stopped and looked at her. Amy could have sworn she saw a smile upon his features.

"I won't."


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter 6-

Cream cheerfully sang a happy song while she followed Amy down the mall's hallway. The two friends have entered half of the mall's clothe stores but neither of them bought anything for the ball. Cream was looking for a medieval like princess gown but she couldn't find one anywhere. Amy told her to look in a costume store, but Cream was determined to only by her gown in a costume store if she didn't find a decent princess gown in another store. Amy, on the other hand, was looking for a formal, yet seductive, gown.

Amy was now sixteen years old and not only had she matured mentally but also physically. She was stronger and slightly faster than before, but that wasn't what caught most male hedgehogs' eyes. She was taller than before and had more curves; her breasts were noticeably bigger than before too. Amy stood out in the crowd due to her stunning appearance and strong personality.

The two friends stopped in front of a store that was known for its beautiful gowns. It was the only store left to see that had formal dresses. Cream looked at Amy with hopeful eyes and then walked in. Smiling at her friend Amy followed. Lost in a world of endless colors Cream scanned racks full of different gowns. A rack full of princess like gowns caught Cream's eyes. She stood in front of it and picked out two gowns. One of them was a yellow gown with a gold bow on the back. The gown was very tight on the top but once it reached the waist it was very loose and circle like. The other gown was a sleeveless flashy pink one with a silver bow and silver gloves. The entire gown was loose, unlike the first one. Amy told her friend the yellow gown would look better on her but she should try both of them on; however, Cream decided to trust Amy's advice and bought the yellow gown without trying the pink one.

"We still need to find a dress for you Amy!"

"I'll find something… you found a beautiful gown although it isn't medieval like, I'm sure I'll find something too," Amy replied as she looked at a few dresses. One of them caught her eye. She immediately grabbed it and ran to an empty cabin. Quickly she undressed and then calmly tried the dress she picked out of the rack. Cream was outside the cabin asking Amy if she was all right. When Amy was fully dressed she opened the cabin's door and walked out. She put herself in front of the mirror and studied her visual. Cream behind her was stunned at her friend's appearance. Amy was wearing a very tight gown. The beginning of the dress was white and went around her neck. It was white until below her breasts, then it was black until her feet. When the white fabric ended and the black one began a strong pink fabric was attached in the middle of her gown and went down until the end of the gown. The dress on Amy enhanced her curves. She was gorgeous.

"This is perfect," Amy whispered.

"You look wonderful Amy!" Her friend cheered. Amy nodded and entered the cabin once again.

It was the night before the ball and Amy was exhausted and excited. She found the perfect dress, shoes and handbag that day. She helped Cream find her perfect gown. She was going to the ball with Shadow. _Shadow…_ The thought made her shiver. She was anxious and frightened at the same time. Wondering whether or not he would even dance with her she fell into a dreamless slumber.

The day had come at last- the day of the ball. Amy woke up early although it was her day off as well as the day of the ball. She prepared her bathtub and went into the kitchen to prepare her breakfast. Cream would come over shortly so both of them could go together to the hairdresser and change their hair style a little and perhaps even put some makeup. She rapidly ate her breakfast and ran to the bathroom. With anxiety taking over her Amy did everything quickly. She was fresh and clean in ten minutes so she left the bathtub and ran into her room. She picked up a pair of jeans and a green t-shirt and quickly put them on. She grabbed a pair of running shoes and put them on as well. She looked very sporty, but it didn't matter to her. Just then the doorbell rang.

"Hi Cream!" Amy saluted her as she opened the door. The rabbit entered happily into the room. She was wearing her usual outfit, which was now a soft brown cotton dress and matching shoes.

"Are you ready? It's almost noon!"

"Really? I woke up early, or so I thought…maybe I was still half asleep when I looked at the clock!"

"You seem very… nervous! Is it because Shadow is taking you to the ball?" Cream asked.

"Don't be foolish! Come on, let's go or we'll be late!" Amy exclaimed as she left the house with her purse.

Amy took one last glance at herself in the mirror before spraying some perfume. The dress fit her wonderfully; her silver necklace added a classy look, and her pink quills were shinning and kind of curled up at the end adding a princess like touch to her hair. A little makeup was added to her face which outlined her lips and jade eyes. Happy with her visual she left the bathroom and picked up her handbag. Her black high heels made a soft noise when she walked which she found funny at first. _He should be here any time now…_ She thought impatient. Two minutes later her doorbell rang. Trying to sound casual she slowly walked towards the door and opened it painfully slowly. On the other side Shadow, wearing a black tuxedo which made him look very sexy, was waiting for her with a pink rose. When the door was fully opened and revealed Amy Shadow was stunned.

"You look… dazzling…" he stuttered. _Those curves… she looks so hot… she changed during these past years… Shadow snap out of it._ He thought quietly to himself. "Are you ready?"

"Yes. Let's go," Amy answered. She closed the door behind her and before she walked down the stairs she grabbed Shadow's black and pink tie, which she found very cute, and pulled him towards her just as quickly as she let go leaving him slightly confused, yet turned on. _Concentrate on getting to the ball, forget about her appearance… control yourself Shadow!_ He kept telling himself.

They arrived at the ball earlier than most guests, including Tails, Cream and Sonic. Amy expected Shadow to dance with her but was disappointed. He preferred sitting down at the table and enjoying the sight. Feeling slightly bored she left their assigned table and began looking for familiar faces until she saw a blue hedgehog near the buffet. He was wearing an elegant black tuxedo with a black ribbon and was…unaccompanied. When the blue hedgehog noticed Amy's presence his heart began racing. _She looks beautiful…beyond description! I must ask her to dance with me… _He thought.

"Hi, Amy. You look wonderful tonight. I was wondering… would you like to dance with me?" He offered. Amy looked towards the table where Shadow was sitting. He seemed oblivious to what was happening around him.

"I came here with Shadow, since he only received one ticket as well… but I'm sure he won't mind if I dance with you," she answered. A spark of jealousy stung Sonic. _She didn't come with me, yet she comes with him?!_ Ignoring his jealousy, and trying to create a scene out of his jealousy and small sting of sadness, he picked up her hand and directed her to the dance floor. A soft slow song was being played by the musicians so both hedgehogs danced close to each other. Slowly gathering their pace they began to control the ball. Most eyes were set upon them, either admiring them or criticizing them due to jealousy and envy. It was then that Shadow woke up from his day dream and noticed what was happening. _Damn it… how long has Amy been waiting for me to give her attention? She's even dancing with the faker! Fuck… I better do something. _He abruptly stood up and walked to the dancing platform. Right when Amy was passing him he gently grabbed her arm and gave Sonic a nod. Sonic understood the signal and let go of Amy, reluctantly.

"I thought you were never going to—" Amy began.

"Amy, will you give me the honor of dancing with you?" Shadow asked. Blushing madly Amy nodded. Shadow signaled to the musicians who began playing a very soft and romantic song. The two hedgehogs went to the center of the room and began gracefully dancing. They were close to each other and could feel one another's breaths. More than once they could have embraced and fallen into a deep kiss, yet they never did. They kept dancing, elegantly and catching everyone's attention. Amy still had a slight mark of blush upon her cheeks as she smiled towards the ebony hedgehog who was actually smiling at her.

"Where did you learn to dance like this, Shadow the Hedgehog?"

"You'd love to know, wouldn't you?" He teased. Amy giggled. They were oblivious to everyone and everything around them. While they were dancing Sonic was sitting alone on a table. _Did I lose her? How's that possible? Now that I'm falling for her?_

Just as the song was coming to its finale and the two hedgehogs were closing the few centimeters that kept them away from each other; just as Amy closed her eyes and slightly opened her lips; just as Shadow gave in to his thoughts of resisting the beautiful hedgehog in front of him a huge noise has heard outside. It sounded like an explosion, but no fire or explosion happened. Amy and Shadow left one another's arms and looked around bewildered.

"Shadow, Amy, look out!" Tails screamed from behind Cream. Apparently both of them had entered the ball while the two hedgehogs were dancing. A huge robot was coming towards them when Sonic spin dashed and them homing attacked the robot.

"Tails take Cream and leave! Shadow grab Amy and take her home. I'll take care of everything here. Amy, take care," the blue hedgehog said. Nodding in approval Shadow grabbed Amy and began running out of the room leaving Sonic behind.


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter 7-

Shadow sprinted out of the room carrying Amy in his arms. At first Amy tried to understand the situation and not be afraid of it, but by the time Shadow was running away from the building she abruptly asked him to stop running. Obeying the pink hedgehog Shadow stopped and put her on the ground. He was slightly confused by her action so he waited for her to begin talking.

"I'm going back in there," she stated. Shadow shook his head in disapproval causing Amy to anger herself. "About four years ago, when I saved a blue flickie, I promised myself that I'd be more independent. I didn't change though. I kept following Sonic around and being left behind. I want to fulfill that promise now. I'm going back in there and help whoever needs help," she affirmed. Shadow stared at her. Her features showed nothing but determination and strength. No matter what he said she'd still go back into the building and try to help whoever was in danger, and Shadow was aware of that.

"Very well, I'll let you go, but I'm going with you," he told her before he picked her up once again and ran back into the building.

Sonic was running around two robots trying to get them to bump into each other and stop functioning while a few people were hiding behind tables. Amy and Shadow ran inside the room and took a quick glance at the scene. With a nod Shadow ran towards one of the two meter robots and began attacking him, leaving the other robot for Sonic. Meanwhile Amy ran to a few tables and escorted the people away from the building. Every once in a while she'd take out her hammer and hit some miniature robots that appeared assumingly from another room connected to the ball room. The miniatures didn't stand a chance to Amy's hammer. Amy thought everyone had evacuated so she ran back inside to help Sonic and Shadow. Just when the robot Shadow was dealing with exploded Amy was running towards him to help him out. The small explosion caused Amy to jump. Shadow grinned at her and ran towards the other robot. When Amy was about to go help them out she heard a soft cry from behind her. She quickly turned around and saw a small child, which probably entered the room after the fight broke out since the ball wasn't meant for children, being attacked by a robot of his size. Amy grabbed her long hammer and tried to squish the robot but stopped herself a few centimeters before impact; she was afraid she'd hit the child as well. Concentrated she picked up the child and moved him away from the robot, then she took out her hammer once again and before the robot could run towards the child she smashed it.

"That's what you get for messing with- ah!" She yelled as the tall robot ran towards her and the young boy. She picked up the boy and began running out of the room followed by the robot, Sonic and Shadow.

"Sonic wind!" Sonic yelled right before Amy and the boy left the room. Knowing exactly what would happen she threw herself on the floor and protected the child's head. Above them an explosion was heard as small pieces of metal fell beside them.

"That was close…" she murmured. She got up and helped the boy clean the dust out of his shirt. Shadow and Sonic walked towards her, leaving her a little uncomfortable. A young mother ran towards the child and picked him up, glad he was alive.

"Thank you, thank you so much! I was afraid he'd get hurt! Never run away from mommy like that Jimmy!" The woman handed Amy a small bag and hugged her. Without further conversation she walked back from where she came from with Jimmy in her arms.

"I wonder what this is?" Amy asked herself as she peeked inside the bag.

"Come, Amy, I'll escort you home," Sonic said as he placed his hand on her shoulder. Suddenly she turned around expecting to see Shadow near Sonic, but Shadow was gone.

"Where's Shadow?" She asked quietly.

"He left. He thinks Eggman is behind this, and so do I, so he went out to investigate. Come, let's get you home."

Once she was finally home she sat down on her couch and began thinking about the day's events. _We almost kissed…_ her thoughts were interrupted by Sonic though who had volunteered to keep her company for a while. He was inside the kitchen trying to figure out how the coffee machine worked. Finally he understood how it worked and came back to the living room with two cups full of coffee in his hands.

"Here you go. Thought you might need it," he said as he handed her the cup. She nodded with a smile and took the cup from his hands. She let the warm liquid tingle in her tongue before she drank it on her first sip, then she drank the entire cup naturally.

"You really looked beautiful at the ball- and you still do, don't get me wrong. Too bad the dress kind of ripped at the end…" Sonic let out trying to hide his grin. Amy's eyes widened. _Ripped?_ She looked down and saw a big slash on the right side of her dress. The slash went from the bottom of her dress almost until her thigh.

"Heh… guess I'll have to buy a new dress for the next ball…" she said blushing. An awkward silence filled the room. Sonic's muscles were tense and Amy had chills running down her spine. _We're in the same room… sitting down on the same couch, yet she doesn't hug me like she used to. Did I really come too late? _He looked at her jade eyes. They were sparkling, as usual. An urge to kiss her sped through him, but he tried to ignore it. _If you kiss her now she'll never talk to you again…_

"Are you feeling all right? You seem a little…tired," Amy asked worriedly.

"Uh, I'm fine, sorry for worrying you. I should get going. Thank you for the coffee," he thanked her and put his cup on the coffee table. As he was walking towards the door he whispered, "you were very…brave today. Thank you for helping those people, especially the boy." The word hit Amy like a snowball. _He's thanking me! _Her face rivaled a ruby. She got up and walked Sonic out the door. Just when he was about to leave she said,

"Thank you for the compliment."


	9. Chapter 8

**Thank you for the reviews! I hope you are enjoying the story, and sorry for the confusion on chapter 4. If you notice something strange go re-read chapter 4 (because I submited the wrong one, but it is fixed now)**

Chapter 8-

Inside Tails's busy workshop, Tails was sleeping soundly in his bedroom. It was a rainy night, yet the sound of big raindrops falling on top of his roof, clinging on to the windows, and falling on the ground didn't perturb the young fox. The sudden banging on his door did. Tails jolted awake once the hammering on his door started. Worried, and a little frightened, he left his comfortable bed and walked towards the door. Tiredly, he opened it revealing a soaking wet azure hedgehog. He quickly moved out of the way allowing the hedgehog to enter the warm workshop and closed the door behind him.

"Yaw… Sonic… what are you doing here? You're soaking wet…" he said between yawns.

"I've noticed Tails… I came running all the way here and then a rainstorm decided to show up. Anyways, can I spend the night here buddy?"

"Of course. Just go get dried first. I have a towel in the bathroom. I'm going to make some coffee for the both of us while I wait for you to dry yourself," his friend offered. With his trademark smile Sonic left for the bathroom.

Fifteen minutes later the two friends were sitting on the couch, each with their own mug. After an awkward silence- since Tails was still half asleep- Tails asked Sonic a question,

"What happened after we left the ball?" At the sound of the question Sonic's ears twitched.

"I'm actually glad you asked that question. Makes what I have to say easier. You left with Cream, and Shadow followed with Amy, so I was alone fighting the robots for a while. Amy and Shadow then showed up, together. Shadow started helping me while Amy evacuated the place and helped this little boy. She's not weak; actually she's much stronger now. Anyways, then we left the place. Shadow went after Eggman and I took Amy home. Tails… I think I'm falling for her… but she seems a lot happier when she's around Shadow," Sonic quickly enlightened him.

"Sonic, I see Amy as a good friend, almost a big sister! So I'm going to be honest with you. You never insulted her, and you obviously cared for her as a friend, but you didn't always treat her right. All the times you ran away from her, all the times _we _left her behind… anyone would get sick of this someday, even Amy. I think you should do what you think is right, what you think will make her happy. Besides, you don't know how she feels towards Shadow," his friend advised him. Sonic nodded in agreement.

"It's been a long day buddy. We should go to sleep,"

"Great idea. Later Sonic,"

"Later Tails."

Meanwhile, an ebony hedgehog was running towards Eggman's old base on the Mystic Ruins jungle. Due to the rain he was soaking wet although the massive trees around him covered him at times. Although he was trying to focus on his mission, finding Eggman, a certain memory never left his mind.

_"I thought you were never going to—" Amy began._

_"Amy, will you give me the honor of dancing with you?" Shadow asked. Blushing madly Amy nodded. Shadow signaled to the musicians who began playing a very soft and romantic song. The two hedgehogs went to the center of the room and began gracefully dancing. They were close to each other and could feel one another's breaths. More than once they could have embraced and fallen into a deep kiss, yet they never did. They kept dancing, elegantly and catching everyone's attention. Amy still had a slight mark of blush upon her cheeks as she smiled towards the ebony hedgehog who was actually smiling at her._

_"Where did you learn to dance like this, Shadow the Hedgehog?" _

_"You'd love to know, wouldn't you?" He teased. Amy giggled. They were oblivious to everyone and everything around them. While they were dancing Sonic was sitting alone on a table._

_Just as the song was coming to its finale and the two hedgehogs were closing the few centimeters that kept them away from each other; just as Amy closed her eyes and slightly opened her lips; just as Shadow gave in to his thoughts of resisting the beautiful hedgehog in front of him a huge noise has heard outside._

He sighed softly to himself. _Damn explosion. _He kept on running until he saw the ancient temple. He observed it for a few seconds and had some ideas, but quickly tossed them aside. _You're not here to sight see._ Freezing, yet intact, he reached the base in no time. Shadow didn't believe he'd find Eggman at an old base, but since no clue was left behind at the explosion he decided to start off by the short options he had. Ruthlessly he entered the dusty base and encountered a few inventions inside tubes; Metal Sonic being one of them. Interestingly enough the base still had electricity which either meant it had a generator or that it wasn't completely abandoned.

Slowly he kept looking around the base. He found a door which was locked and near it a series of buttons. He spin dashed towards them causing the code to be broken and a secret door opening. "Humph, that was easy," he murmured. Curiously he walked into the room and found hammer marks on the floor. "Ah, Amy's been here at one point. Perhaps I'll ask her someday," he thought out loud as he walked by.

About an hour later Shadow left the room and noticed the wet trail he left behind. _I won't bother to clean this up. If anyone finds out I'll deal with it later._ He stepped out of the room and jumped to the section below. Another door was present but it as well was locked. With a small shrug he sprinted up the stairs and out of the base. He was once again in the wet, rainy jungle. _Might as well sleep near the stairs, since I have nowhere better to go…_ With that thought he sprinted back to where the stairs were and lay underneath a giant leaf. At first the small droplets of rain infuriated him, but at last sleep came to him.

9:12 am. The sun was already up and shining, since the rain had stopped, but the trees disallowed some sunrays to pass which allowed Shadow to sleep in. That night no nightmare had haunted him, which was very unusual. As a matter of fact for a few days now he had been sleeping better. His eyelids slowly opened revealing his ruby eyes. _Amy… I wonder if she received it…_ he thought straight away. Astonished by his thought he quickly stood up and headed up the stairs. When he finally reached the top he hopped into the rotting wood cart and entered the tunnel. The cart stopped after a minute near the waterfall. He hopped off the cart and ran towards the train station where he would take the first train to Station Square. A pair of violet eyes followed the onyx hedgehog as it sprinted towards the train station and entered the train. Shadow, however, didn't notice.

8:55 am. Amy woke up to find her leg muscles extremely tense. She pulled the bed covers away from her and headed towards the bathroom nonetheless. Trying hard to sustain the pain her legs were causing her she took a quick shower and headed back to her room to put on her uniform. It was Friday so Amy had the morning off, but she decided to put on the uniform anyway. Glancing at her clock she read the time. 9:03 am. With a quick sigh she walked to the kitchen and began cooking breakfast- scrambled eggs.

9:17 am. Amy had finished her breakfast and was rinsing her dirty plate when a sudden memory caught her attention. _The bag she gave me…_ Carefully she laid the plate in the sink and forced her legs to move into the living room. Quickly she scanned the room until her eyes fell upon the bag near the couch. She picked it up and took a wrapped box from inside. The wrapper was silver and the bow around the box was gold. _Should I really open it? _Slowly, making sure her muscles wouldn't complain so much, she sat on the couch. Just then her doorbell rang. _I wonder who it is… Here I go again._ She told herself as she forced her legs up again. Without even asking who was there she opened the apartment door. Shadow, with little droplets of water making him look extremely hot in Amy's mind, stood outside with his emotionless face.

"May I come in?" He asked.

"Uh… sure, come in," she answered as she made her way back to the couch. "My legs are hurting so much, heh…"

"No surprise. You fought well yesterday. Sorry I left without warning… I mean, uh, I went after Eggman but I didn't find him or anything that will help us," _Why are you apologizing…_ he cursed himself.

"Yes, Sonic told me you went after him,"

"Ah… Sonic told you…" he murmured. His sat next to her and spotted the still wrapped box. "Aren't you going to open it?" He questioned.

"Well, I was but then you rang…" _Perfect timing… sometimes I'm such an idiot._ He further cursed himself.

"Then proceed," he simply said.

Confused, Amy did as he told her. She once again picked up the box and began unwrapping it. She didn't notice Shadow's eyes tensing while she unwrapped though. Shadow's mind was navigating back to what had happened yesterday at night. _She's stronger, she has a bigger will, and she looks hot when she fights… Shadow, focus. Snap out of it. _He looked back at Amy who was now opening a white box. A soft smile curled onto his face, but he quickly dismissed it. Amy took a small, fragile object from inside the box and looked at it in awe. It was a crystal object with a soft tinge of pink that resembled a Chaos Emerald. It was designed so it could be worn either on clothes or headband.

"This is… it's…it's gorgeous!" Amy stammered.

"I'm glad you liked it, Amy. I was planning on giving it to you personally, but as you know I had to leave so I gave it to a woman and asked her to give it to a pink hedgehog," he confessed. This left Amy further in awe.

"You… you got this… for me?" she stammered once again.

Shadow nodded and gave Amy one of his rare smiles. His genuine smile changed to a seductive one though. Slowly, yet seductively, he approached her and placed the present and well as the box on top of the coffee table. Amy just quietly stood there watching the ebony hedgehog approaching her. Lost in his crimson eyes she imagined his hand pressed on hers. Quietly she let out a sigh right when Shadow was only a few centimeters from her face. Then, when both of them let go of their worriers and gave in to longing, Shadow kissed Amy on the lips and began exploring her mouth. Amy's ears twitched at the feeling Shadow was provoking in her. A soft, pleasurable sound left Shadow's mouth as he deepened the already passionate kiss. Amy gently parted from Shadow's lips and lay down on the sofa. With a smirk Shadow lay on top of her and kissed her already wet lips once more.

"Shadow… what… oh… what does… this… mean…?" Amy asked in between kisses.


	10. Chapter 9

Thank you for the reviews and sorry for the delay!

--

Chapter 9-

Sonic woke up to the sound of clashing metal that came from outside. While rubbing his head he got up from the couch, where he spent the night, and approached the window. He took a small peek outside and saw his friend working on a yellow plane. Curious he stepped outside and examined the plane in front of him. Tails, who was now aware of Sonic's presence, stopped what he was doing and smiled at his friend. 

"You're up early. What are you working on?" 

"Yeah... remember a few years ago when I was building a new plane that could run on Chaos Emerald power? We'll I've decided to try again. Now I know a plane can run on Chaos Emerald power, but I'll try to make it even better. Right now I'm just working on the outside. Gotta make sure I don't forget to add a landing gear," Tails happily explained. As the two were talking they failed to notice a presence a few meters behind them.

"_So this is Sonic the Hedgehog…_"

Shadow looked at her jade eyes and studied their expression. _She's worried…_ He gently caressed her cheek and stood up. The last thing he needed was to see the one he cared about hurt. He pondered about her feelings. Reattributed his kiss she had indeed, yet he was unsure about her feelings. Amazed at his own reaction and impulsive actions he lowered his head.

Amy tried to decipher his thoughts and feelings as she lay on the couch observing him. She was worried about what had just happened. For a few days now she knew she cared for him in a special way. The hedgehog in front of her gave birth to a special feeling that she now cherished, but she also had feelings for her blue hedgehog. The feelings were different though, and she was well aware of that. When she danced with Sonic last night she felt happy, but when she danced with Shadow she felt overjoyed and wished the song would never end. Her feelings towards Sonic would never be inexistent, and neither would her past actions. He would always be a special friend to her, but she wanted more from Shadow; however, she doubted he'd give her that. 

"Please… answer…" she asked, breaking the silence between the two. 

"I… I'm not quite sure myself. I was impulsive. I should have thought about the consequences. The truth is, Amy, that I can no longer hide this from you. I care for you, more than a friend. I am aware though that you probably do not feel the same way. It is not on my nature, at all, to be saying these things so please don't tell anyone. Out of respect," he confessed. _Way to go Shadow… you probably bored her with your lame speech. _

"Shadow…" she responded almost in a whisper. 

Quietly she stood up and walked closer to the ebony hedgehog. As he observed her actions his body tensed up. Wondering what to expect, a hug or a mallet on top of his head, he stepped back. Aware of his sudden movement Amy smiled and took out her hammer. Then she threw it on top of the couch. With a sigh of relief Shadow managed a grin, which was replaced by a small yell a second later due to Amy's sudden jump and tight hug. 

"I care for you too!" Amy screamed in joy. Noticing her tight grasp around the male hedgehog she let go of him and smiled. Pondering on how to react he just stood there looking at her.

A few minutes later Sonic appeared outside once again with two mugs of coffee. When Tails stopped working he handed him one of the mugs. The two friends talked cheerfully about various things, such as Eggman, Cream, Knuckles and Rouge, and the situation at the ball. The presence left its hiding spot and walked over to where the two friends were chatting. Tails was the first one to notice and quickly stood up.

A brown hedgehog, wearing what seemed to be a green top and matching skirt, with violet eyes was standing in front of them with a wry smile that was rapidly followed by a grin once she noticed Tails's staring at her.

"Hello. My name is Itza and I come from the past."

"You only care about me, or is there more?" Shadow finally asked causing Amy's bright smile to vanish.

"Shadow… I care about you, more than as a friend… but…"

"It's that faker isn't it? You haven't completely forgotten him."

"Shadow… I hope you understand," she asked sincerely. Shadow nodded in comprehension and gave a small smile.

"I understand. Our friendship remains, if that is what you are going to ask next," he anticipated.

"Well… yes it was my next question. You don't know how happy I am right now," she cried louder than before making Shadow smile once again.

"Why are you- uh- here Itza?" Sonic asked her in disbelief.

"I came here to change your present. Back where I came from I have been warned of a terrible event that is yet to come. It will bring great evil and misery to everyone on this planet. I couldn't allow such a thing to happen and by some force I was able to come to the present and warn you. This way I can also assist you and try to change the sequence of events that will come," Itza slowly explained.

"What is it you came to warn us and change? What misery and evil?" Tails asked as he tried to swallow down the information he had just received.

"What I have learned goes like this: _the night the emeralds will fall misery will crawl from its bed. The day the Chaos Emeralds power is consumed by the one the world will forever change. Chaos is power enriched by the heart, whether that heart is good or evil. _We have to work together to stop this from happening. Someone is looking for the emeralds and will use them in an evil way. We must gather the emeralds first!" She exclaimed.

Sonic looked at Tails and shrugged. Both of them guessed Eggman would be behind such a scheme, but what that hedgehog told them didn't even sound frightening. Eggman had tried that before, thousands of times; what could be different now? _Perhaps she's late and we already stopped this from happening…_ Sonic thought to himself. Just as he was about to ask her a question, Tails beat him to it,

"Itza, what you told us isn't enough. Are you sure you came at the right time and not too late? Because this sounds a lot like one of the adventures we had before against a certain genius, Dr. Ivo Robotnik, and we beat him every time. If he's the threat now there's no need to be so frightened."

"I'm afraid you didn't really understand. I do not know who is after the emeralds, but whoever is, plans on consuming their energy forever and using them for evil things. Whoever is looking for them is powerful and able to use the emeralds power in ways that are yet to be seen. You must believe me," she almost pleaded for their belief as she clasped her hands together and looked closely at them. 

Tails shrugged and looked at Sonic, who was now grinning. Understanding what this meant Tails hurried into his workshop and in a few seconds reappeared with a small tracking device on his left hand and a phone on the other.

"Hurry and call Knuckles and Shadow. I'm going to see if this Chaos Emerald tracking device still works." Tails told Sonic as he handed him the phone.

"How am I going to call Shadow? I have no idea where he is…" Sonic mumbled to himself.

"Try Amy's house," Tails advised. 

"Good idea. If he's not there then we'll just have to start without him."

Meanwhile Itza stood there looking at them with her full attention, observing every move as if memorizing it. _So far, so good. _


	11. Chapter 10

I hope you are enjoying the story so far! Once again I do not own Sonic or any of the characters except for Itza. 

Please review! Thank you nn

Chapter 10-

Shadow, along with Amy, appeared twenty minutes after Sonic phoned Amy. Sonic, who was only expecting Shadow, stared at the pink hedgehog as she ran towards him. He was well aware she wouldn't hug him or ask him to marry her, those actions had changed in the past, yet he wished she would. That way it would be easier for him to accept his own feelings for her. 

"What's the emergency?" Amy shouted a few meters away from them as she kept running. Taking advantage of this moment Itza placed herself next to Sonic allowing only a few centimeters to separate their bodies. After collecting information about the heroes she was well aware of Amy's past actions towards the blue hedgehog. Noticing her actions Amy slowed down to a fast walk, surprising Shadow who was jogging behind her. 

"Why'd you slow down?" He whispered to her once he was next to her.

"Who is _she? _I don't like the look of her."

"Never saw her. Why? Because she's so close to Sonic?" Shadow smirked causing Amy to give a little 'hmph'. 

When the two hedgehogs were in front of the workshop with Sonic, Tails and the newcomer, Knuckles appeared gliding a few meters away. No one paid him much attention though; Sonic was secretly observing Amy who was looking at the newcomer with curious eyes, while Tails was tracking down the Chaos Emeralds and Shadow simply stood quietly. Itza, however, noticed the red figure and quietly cursed. _It can't be… an echidna? _Knuckles landed between Amy and Sonic causing both of them to look up.

"What's wrong?" He immediately asked. "This better be good because I have the Master Emerald to guard."

Itza flinched at the words Master Emerald, but no one noticed except Amy. Amy kept observing her and keeping mental notes about her actions. She was nowhere near trusting the brown hedgehog next to Sonic. 

"This is big Knuckles. This brown hedgehog next to me is called Itza. She—" Sonic began explaining with his usual cocky voice.

"I can explain for myself, thank you," Itza arrogantly interrupted. This sparked once again Amy's interest, and this time it caught Shadow's attention too. After she quickly explained her reason to come to the present she glanced at Knuckles.

"Hmm… this sounds vaguely familiar…" He said more to himself than to the others. Itza, however, heard him well enough and showed some nervousness.

"Where could you have possibly heard this?" She asked curiously.

"Oh I haven't heard of it. Sounds like Chaos all over again, but he was sealed and Tikal assured us that—"

"Tikal?" Itza asked nervously. She knew well enough who Tikal was. 

"I remember her! She helped us in the end… and with all those dreams too," Amy cheerfully added once she noticed Itza's nervousness. Itza simply nodded and tried to remain calm.

"Guys, I finally have a signal from a Chaos Emerald. It's coming from the jungle. Ah, and I forgot to mention earlier, I have the white Chaos Emerald. I was planning to use it to fuel my plane, as Sonic knows. I simply forgot to mention that I already have it," Tails interrupted the conversation.

"I should guard the emerald you posses already for I come from the past and no one would suspect me of guarding the emerald," Itza suggested.

"I disagree," Shadow intervened for the first time. "I think Sonic or I should guard the emeralds for they will be safer with us and that way we can use them to our advantage as well."

Amy nodded in agreement, and glad that Shadow intervened. She wouldn't trust the newcomer with any of the emeralds. Secretly she wished Sonic or Shadow would agree with her. She observed her reaction. None. Amy couldn't decipher her feelings towards Shadow's suggestion for she didn't seem content or angry. Perfectly calm she stayed. It was as if she knew Amy was observing every move and emotion she showed.

"Very well. Perhaps that is a better option," she simply stated as she looked at Sonic.

"Ok guys, we need a plan. Since this emerald seems to be just lying around somewhere only two of us should go. Who's up for the ch—"

"Sonic and I should go, that way I can tell him more about the Chaos Emeralds' power," Itza suggested cheerfully. Sonic looked blankly at her but quickly smiled.

"Ok, let's get going!" He stated as he began running down the stairs with Itza following close behind.

"I don't trust her one bit," Amy told the others once the blue and brown hedgehogs were out of ear shot. Shadow nodded in approval.

"She is kind of weird and seems really interested in getting the emeralds… but that might just be because she wants to save the present," Tails said.

"As long as she doesn't touch the Master Emerald I'm fine with her touching the Chaos Emeralds."

"And why is she so obsessed with Sonic? Gee, we're all a team…" Amy lamented to herself.

Later that evening, Tails, Knuckles, and Amy were having a nice conversation inside Tails workshop, and Shadow occasionally talked as well. The conversation was mostly about past adventures, including the one where Chaos was being controlled by Eggman and Amy 

saved a flickie. Shadow seemed interested in these past events, but didn't say much since he hadn't seen them. After an hour or so Sonic appeared inside the workshop with a smile.

"Hey guys! I got the emerald. Itza is outside looking at it," he commented. Amy sighed and wondered about Itza once again. Why she was here made no sense to her.

Outside Itza was holding a red Chaos Emerald and mumbling incomprehensive words. An ancient language, it seemed. She held the emerald on her left hand and pointed in towards the sun. Her eyes remained shut as she quietly spoke. Then the gleam of the emerald disappeared and a soft gleam surrounded her body for a few seconds. Content with the feeling she opened her eyes.

"Against time I have fought to achieve my goal. One emerald down, six to go."


	12. Chapter 11

Chapter 11-

_The servers are the seven Chaos. Chaos is power. Power is enriched by the heart. The controller is the one that unifies the Chaos._

Tails was in his living room quietly reading an ancient book he'd acquired in an old bookstore in Station Square. Amy was sitting next to him lost in her own thoughts. Shadow, on the other hand, was looking outside the window. He was almost spying on the newcomer which he did not fully trust either. Knuckles was in the kitchen trying to find something to eat. Sonic was nowhere to be seen. After he entered the house and shortly told the others what happened, he ran upstairs. Tails followed him shortly after but didn't find him. Assuming he went out for a run his best friend came back down and began reading. Suddenly Amy stood up and walked to the door. Before opening it she whispered,

"I wonder what's taking her so long…"

Then, trying not to alert the brown hedgehog, she opened the door a little. It was wide enough for Amy to see Itza adoring the emerald and a small glimmer surrounding her body fading away. Curious, she fully opened the door and stepped outside. Itza failed to notice this for she kept adoring the emerald. Trying to act cheerful Amy touched Itza's shoulder, causing her to turn around.

"I was wondering if you know Tikal by any chance…" Amy simply said unaware of the fact that Shadow was observing her. 

"Uh… unfortunately I do not have the pleasure of knowing who Tikal is," Itza replied harshly and almost sarcastically. 

"Oh, that's too bad… Tikal is such a nice and loving echidna. If you ever get the chance you should meet her. Oh, maybe you aren't from the same era!" 

"Maybe I am, maybe I am not. Now, if you'll excuse me I have something to do," Itza retorted as she walked away from Amy and towards the house. Shadow saw this and decided to leave the window. He walked past Itza at the door and walked towards Amy. 

"I was watching you," he calmly stated.

"And?"

"She seems to act in a very defensive way. Interesting character to study."

"Oh if she keeps acting this way there will be no character to study."

Shadow couldn't help but give out a chuckle at this. That she-hog entertained him and kept him smiling. It was a strange feeling and power she possessed over him. He was aware of her confused feelings and had backed off a little, yet he did not plan to lose for Sonic. He was doing this for her, and only her. _I've been acting out of character lately, but Sonic shouldn't expect that to happen forever. _

Later that day, around 7:30 PM, Sonic appeared in the living room followed by Itza. Tails, Knuckles, Shadow and Amy had spent the evening conversing and playing a few board games since they did not know where Sonic and Itza were. Sonic entered the room and took a seat on the couch next to Knuckles. Itza stood behind the group just staring. 

"Where have you been Sonic?" Amy asked as she took the last empty seat next to Sonic. 

"I've been showing the Mystic Ruins to Itza. She enjoyed the ancient temple in the jungle quite a lot. We managed to go there without getting lost. In fact she seemed to know the way by heart! Maybe she lives in that jungle… in the past I mean. I asked her but she said she didn't recognize anything," he explained. Amy absorbed the new information and took a quick glance at Itza. She looked perfectly calm.

"That's very…interesting," Amy managed to say.

"Did she recognize anything else from here? She might have visited the Mystic Ruins at some point, but it obviously changed," Tails first questioned, then added.

"He has a point," Knuckles replied.

Shadow looked at Itza. Her calm expression seemed to be fading away. The more they talked about the subject the more prone she was to seem angry. A small smirk crawled onto his face and he began deciphering her character. 

"I wonder from what time period she is. Could she be from as far as the Egyptians?" Tails began tinkering.

"Egyptians? Were there even Mobians during that time period?" Amy asked ignorantly.

"Well, as far as I know the first record of a Mobian dates a few years after the first human record. How we originated though is a mystery. Anyway, that means Mobians did exist during the Egyptian time period but weren't in contact with humans," Tails explained.

"It's still a possibility then. I still think she's from Tikal's time period thought," Sonic blurted.

"We don't have a specific date for that time period though, but we can point out more or less. Itza does seem to be wearing similar clothes—" 

"Will you guys stop talking about me as if I weren't here?!" Itza interrupted the kitsune with a frustrated yell. Shadow smirked once again and looked at Amy, who in her turn nodded. "I am right here, listening to everything you are saying! You keep asking questions and imagining what you know nothing about! You could at least respect me. Please don't forget that I am older than all of you. Thousands of years older! You should apologize," she kept yelling. 

Sonic, who did not enjoy being yelled at, flinched at the sound of her voice as the pitch grew. Tails stood quiet in remorse and Knuckles simply ignored her. Shadow kept analyzing her and Amy just stared at the floor in thought. 

"Sorry for being disrespectful," Amy apologized sincerely. She had to admit that Itza had a point.

"Yeah, sorry," Sonic apologized as well as Tails nodded in approval. 

"Humph. I'll just forget about it," she said as she left towards the garage. 

"Charming temperament," Shadow simply said. 

Sonic yawned and stood up. He stretched, then looked at the two tailed kitsune and gave him his trademark smile. Understanding what his friend was asking Tails nodded and pointed to a door. Without second thoughts Sonic opened that same door and entered the chamber. Knuckles stood up and walked to the main door.

"I'll be going. I'll come back early in the morning," he stated. Amy waved good-bye as well as Tails. 

"Anyone want tea?" Amy asked. Tails nodded but Shadow declined. She left to the kitchen and began preparing tea. When it was ready she gave Tails a mug. "I'm going to ask Sonic if he wants some," she said as she entered the same chamber as Sonic. The room was dark but the light coming from the living room was enough to allow Amy to see nearby objects. 

"Tails… is that you?" Sonic mumbled half asleep. 

"No, it's Amy. I brought you a cup of tea but you seem to be almost asleep… here I'll leave on this table in case you wake up thirsty," she giggled. As she was preparing to leave Sonic's voice sounded around the room once more,

"Ames…?" 

Amy's heart skipped a beat. _Is he going to confess his love? Oh Amy don't be stupid… he's just a friend. _She approached the bed Sonic was lying in. Noticing the covers were placed the wrong way she re-arranged them giving the blue hedgehog more comfort. 

"Tell me the truth… you don't like Itza do you?" He asked breaking the tender moment. Amy sighed, half expecting something like this to happen. 

"Well… not really. I don't trust her. I have a bad feeling about all of this, Sonic," she confessed in a whisper. 

"Don't. She's a nice hedgehog, really. I bet she means no harm," he whispered back.

"We'll see… good-night Sonic."

"Night, Ames…"

Amy left the room with a sigh. She looked over at the couch. Tails had fallen asleep. Amy sensed a peaceful aura around him, but thought of it as being her imagination. Then she looked at the spot where Shadow used to be, but he wasn't there. Wondering where he went Amy stepped outside. It was a starry night, and it was warm enough for a midnight swim at the waterfall. Amy dismissed the thought though for she didn't feel confident on doing it alone. She came back inside and sat on a chair. Sleep slowly drifted in her.

Meanwhile in the garage Itza had been looking for the Chaos Emerald. She had opened every drawer and suitcase in the garage only to find tools, some machines or objects she had never seen before, and blueprints. She entered the plane and looked inside but had no success. When she was about to give up she remembered the power she had obtained from the first emerald.

"Ah… my first opportunity to unleash the powers of the emerald," she whispered to herself as she closed her eyes and began calling for the Chaos Emerald that she could sense was near. Although her power was still very limited she had been granted the power to summon a Chaos Emerald that was near. In five seconds the white Chaos Emerald was 

shinning in front of Itza. "Come, and unleash your true power," Itza said as a gleam engulfed her figure.

8:00 AM. A repeated pounding was heard coming from the front door. Tails was the first to notice it, since it had slowly woke him up. He stood up, realizing he had fallen asleep on the couch. He also spotted Amy fast asleep on a chair next to the table. The pounding persisted causing Tails to run to the door and quickly open it. Knuckles was outside, infuriated.

"Uh… good-morning Knuckles?" 

"Where is she?"

"Who?"

"Where is _she?!_" Knuckles yelled causing Amy to wake up and Sonic appearing from inside the room. Both walked outside to where Knuckles and Tails were.

"What's going on?" Sonic asked fully awake.

"Where is that back stabber Itza?" He asked once more.

"I don't know… the last thing I remember was her going into my garage and… wait, back stabber?" Tails asked confused. 

"I knew it, I knew she couldn't be trusted."

"Calm down guys. What happened?" Sonic intervened. 

"I was guarding the Master Emerald during the night but I fell asleep for an hour or so. Suddenly I felt the Master Emerald's power being drained away which caused me to wake up, but I was too late. No one was there, but the power was drained all right. The Island began to fall and it's already down. I found a piece of fabric near the altar. It was green. The same color of green that Itza has on her top and skirt. It was her, I'm sure of it," he spat. 

"Whoa, buddy, that's a big accusation there. Anyone could be wearing something with the same color of green fabric as Itza's," Sonic said.

"Not really. Her fabric is ancient, it's much different from the one used now a days. The difference would have been clear," Amy stated confidently. The three males stopped and stared at her. "What? I'm not dumb. Besides, if there's something I know a lot about its clothes and fashion." Tails gave off an innocent chuckle, followed by Sonic's wide grin. 

"Well there you have it. Amy proved my point. It was her," just as Knuckles finished his accusation a yell was heard from a distance. It was a strong, determined yell that the group knew all too well.

"Chaos Spear!" 


	13. Chapter 12

Chapter 12-

The sky was clear of clouds allowing the stars to shine brightly. He let out a silent sigh as he left the workshop. He had a strange feeling about the newcomer, and the fact that she went to the garage alone did not help much. He could only guess she went there with the hope of finding the white Chaos Emerald. He decided to wait outside the garage, but when a strange muffled sound was heard his curiosity brought him to a window. He saw her. She was glowing, it seemed, and the white Chaos Emerald stood floating right in front of her. A voice could be heard, it was her voice. What she said though was unknown. _An ancient language, perhaps?_ A light engulfed her figure for a few seconds and then vanished leaving only the emerald behind. He could feel the emerald's power had decreased. Better, he could feel that Itza had absorbed the power in a greater way than he had ever done. She was preparing to leave the garage through the back door that led her directly outside. Noticing this he hid among the shadows, which thanks to his dark features were able to camouflage him. Itza left the garage and walked down the stairs. Then, picking up her pace she headed towards the tunnel that lead to Angel Island.

Shadow followed her.

Itza walked until the end of the tunnel expecting the entrance to Angel Island would appear soon, but once she reached the end of the tunnel she encountered a locked door. She stood silently in front of it, observing it. She tried pushing it once but the door remained frozen. With a grin on her face she closed her eyes and began glowing once more. In a second the door opened. Content with her power she passed the door and entered Angel Island. She was still far from the altar, but she saw Knuckles asleep next to it. When she was preparing to advance a blue hedgehog wearing a green and white t-shirt, black pants, and green running shoes appeared out of seemingly nowhere. Shadow remained hidden behind a rock in front of the now opened door, observing them. The blue hedgehog tackled Itza, taking her by surprise. Noticing who the blue hedgehog was Shadow grinned.

Andrew, also known as Shield, tried kicking his opponent but she evaded the kick and began running towards the altar. Noticing this Shield ran behind her. Being faster than she was he quickly caught up to her and grabbed her from behind and accidentally pulled some fibers from her top. He threw them on the ground, near the altar, and grabbed Itza by the arm. She, on her turn, evoked the energy of the two emeralds and began glowing causing Knuckles to stir in his sleep. Then she tried pushing Shield but he evoked a chain of water and wrapped it around her. Noticing Knuckles stirring in his sleep Shield began running dragging Itza behind him. Shadow saw them enter the tunnel and tried to go after them when he saw Knuckles waking up and the island starting to fall. _Could she have absorbed the Master Emerald's _

_power?_ Without thinking Shadow ran down the tunnel, following the path Shield had made. He quickly found them. They were heading towards the jungle.

"Hey Shield," Shadow called out. He immediately turned around.

"Hi Shadow. I came here to take care of some business. I felt an evil presence and came after it. It increased immensely in such a small time. I finally realized why. This hedgehog has been absorbing the powers of your Chaos Emeralds and was planning to absorb the Master Emerald's power as well, making it impossible to control the Chaos Emeralds," Shield explained slowly.

"Planning? So she didn't absorb it?" Hearing this Shield tied Itza to a tree and walked to where Shadow was hoping she wouldn't hear.

"No. I absorbed it while running after her. I will give it back to its rightful owner, obviously. She must be stopped. I do not know why she is here, but her aura is tainted. What do you know about her?"

"Enough to agree with you, and a bit more. Apparently she's from the past. She told us someone was going to absorb the Chaos Emeralds powers. Apparently it was her all along. We have to find away to bring her to the past—"

"You idiot. You thought your limited power over water would stop me and the power of the two Chaos Emeralds? Fool. I extracted more power than any living being before! More than even you, Shadow the Hedgehog," Itza yelled as she broke free and the water chain disappeared.

"I am the Ultimate Life Form. Do not underestimate me."

"Soon it will be morning, where is Sonic and the others?" Shield asked as he prepared his fighting stance.

"Asleep probably. Get ready, traitor," Shadow advised, as he curled himself up in a ball and charged towards Itza who swiftly evaded the attack.

"Too easy. Neither of you can beat me,"

"You underestimate us," Shield yelled as he placed a powerful kick on her back. Quickly she turned around and managed to catch his arm. A grin replaced her sore features.

"I will now begin to suck the Master Emerald's power from you, you fool!"

"CHAOS CONTROL!" Shadow yelled and wrapped behind Itza placing a punch on her left cheek. A sticky and metallic liquid began to drip down her cheek.

"Ah… I haven't fought like this in a long time! Not even against my rival… well, she didn't necessarily fight," Itza affirmed aggressively. "Chaotic illusion!" she yelled furiously.

"I've never heard of this…" Shadow murmured as a light shone around them and small emeralds appeared nearby.

"How were you able to Chaos Control before? Do you have…?"

"Yes. I am carrying one right now, but I do not know what this attack is," Shadow shouted as the emeralds began charging against the two hedgehogs. They began evading them easily, but as their movements became faster and rougher it became harder to evade them. Then Shield was hit. Shadow, who avoided using Chaos Control, ended up being hit as well.

"Can't you use… it… to sense… where… the attack… or power… is coming…from?" Shield asked in between of gasps for air.

"I thought of that, but I need to concentrate and right now that seems impossible!" Shadow yelled as he ducked. Shield nodded in comprehension and then began to glow.

"Hurry and concentrate! I'll try to control the Chaos Emeralds! She didn't manage to suck the Master Emerald's power in me!" Shield yelled and he mentally tried to control the power of the two Chaos Emeralds. The emeralds created by an illusion slowed down and Shadow took the opportunity to concentrate. After three seconds he charged towards a spot.

"Chaos Spear!"

Amy Rose, Sonic the Hedgehog, Miles "Tails" Prower, and Knuckles the Echidna all ran towards the voice. It was no surprise for them to see Shadow attacking someone… but due to a midst of light they could see who. Then, when the light subsided they saw Itza on the ground, Shadow next to her, and Shield standing a few steps away from them.

"Shield?" Amy yelled as she came close to him.

"Hello, Amy, Sonic…" he said as he collapsed on the floor.

"Shield?" Tails asked worried.

"Ah… I'm not used to carrying so much power… Knuckles, bring me near the Master Emerald so I can give off the power I absorbed… I'll explain later…" he managed to say. Knuckles nodded, trusting him, and picked him up. Running back to Angel Island he left the others behind. Tails and Sonic ran next to Shadow who was now holding Itza.

"She's unconscious for now," he simply said and then threw her on the floor.

"We need to find a way to bring her back to the past," Tails said.

"But first, we should know what brought her to the present," Sonic replied seriously.


	14. Chapter 13

Chapter 13-

Shield was sitting down next to the Master Emerald with Knuckles beside him. The more time he spent next to the enormous emerald the brighter it shone, and he less impatient Knuckles grew. The emerald's power was being restored and the island began to shake, soon it would once more return to the endless sky. Knuckles grinned. Shield finally recovered and stood up next to the powerful emerald as it forced the island back into the sky. Knuckles grabbed his arm and put on a serious face as if warning him to be careful. When the island was finally in the air and the shaking had ended, Knuckles let go of Shield and signaled him to begin talking.

"I'll be honest with you and tell you everything. Do you remember when you woke up because you felt someone near the Master Emerald? That was me, but let me start from the beginning. I was back in Aqua Island when all of this began. I was with CaroAmy at the library because of a project we were both working on… and this book caught my attention. I took it out of a shelf, a rather old one actually that only authorized people used, and opened it. It was a legend book with no date on it, but by the writing I could tell it was centuries old. There was a section that talked about the secret use of the Chaos Emeralds. It told the story of an ancient hedgehog who desired extreme power and that power could only be summoned by the Chaos Emeralds, but not everyone could summon that power. Normally only the positive or negative power of the Chaos Emeralds could be summoned by one person and not both, but if a person was strong enough and had some magical powers then that person could summon both positive and negative powers of the 7 emeralds, conceding more power to the user. This female hedgehog, named Itza, was the daughter of the sorcerer of a village near the empire from where Tikal came from. She had inherited some magical powers from her mother but she felt like that power wasn't enough and when she reached the age of twelve she heard of the Chaos Emeralds. Since then her only goal had been to find the emeralds and invoke both negative and positive power from then and then rule all neighboring villages.

When she heard about Tikal, and how the 7 Chaos Emeralds resided in the empire with the Master Emerald, she promised herself that she would do anything to get the emeralds, even fight against the Princess. Tikal became aware of this two years later and went over to her village. She looked for Itza and when she finally found her she tried to talk with her. Tried to tell her that the Chaos Emeralds were not to be used for evil or to conquer others. Itza paid no attention, instead she considered Tikal her rival. Later on when Tikal's father went against his daughter and Chaos, because he wanted the power to conquer others as well, the seven emeralds separated themselves. Itza became aware of this and frustrated she spent the rest of her life trying to find the emeralds. At the end of the legend a codified message was left. It said the following: "It is said that Itza tried going to the future where finding the Seven Chaos Emeralds would be easier. Past, Present and Future engulfed by the power of the Chaos 

Emeralds, both positive and negative would only result in the ending of time. Thou who reads this message right now, stop the world from vanishing" – Sorcerer of Lhim.

I read this and it really interested me, but I didn't think much about it. Later that night I had a strange feeling. I left Aqua Island, without CaroAmy knowing, and came here. I landed near the train station in the Mystic Ruins and sensed and evil presence going towards the train station, but then it disappeared. I quickly ran to the top of the train station where Tails told me the transporter to Angel Island would be incorporated later guessing it was already working. I clicked on the button and entered the cave that later on led to the entrance of Angel Island. Then I hid and when I saw her- I knew it was Itza because of the description on the book- I attacked her and a grabbed a bit of her cloth when I realized she was trying to gather the power of the Master Emerald. I ran after her and let go of the cloth and gathered the power first so she wouldn't gather it and use it for evil later on. The rest you know," Shield told him.

"That was one big monologue…" Knuckles said with a yawn.

Shield shrugged and looked at the horizon. He knew he had to go back to Aqua Island, and he was also aware that CaroAmy was probably looking for him already. Although he wanted to help them, he couldn't see what else he could do. He told them the story, the legend and all had seen Itza's power. The only way to stop her would be to send her back to the past where she wouldn't be able to find the emeralds or go back to the present.

"I have to go. See you around. Tell the others what I told you, that is if you heard anything. I might be back to help you, but I kind of doubt it. There are still things to sort out in Aqua Island. Bye! Thank you!" He yelled as he ran to the transporter before Knuckles could reply. Knuckles shrugged and sat down next to the Master Emerald thinking of a way to bring Itza back to the past.

Amy was asleep on a chair next to the bed Shadow was sleeping in. After the attack they had gone back to Tail's workshop along with Sonic Tail's and tied up Itza. Exhausted Shadow had lied down on the bed and quickly fell asleep. Sonic had locked Itza in a room and stood outside the room as a bodyguard, while Tails begun reading books hoping to find a way to send her back to the past. After a while Amy had sat down on the chair where she was now asleep. Her dreamless sleep was suddenly interrupted by a figure that came out of a white shadow.

"Who is this…?" Amy murmured in her sleep. The figure came closer and finally showed herself. "Tikal?"

"I'm sorry to disturb your sleep Amy, but it was the only way I found to contact you. I've been trying to contact one of you but something was always interfering. I don't have much time so listen carefully. I am now using the power of a Chaos Emerald to communicate but interference might occur. As you know I have been dead for quite a long time now, but I am still aware of what is happening and has happened. I know Itza is in your present. Listen Amy, you were right not to trust her. You and the others must find all the emeralds quickly before she finds a way to free herself. She is a powerful girl that knows ancient magic spells, her mother was a sorcerer. You might be wondering how I know this… well it began a long time ago. Itza was part of a nearby village and her mother was the one who told her of the Chaos Emeralds and how they possessed both positive and negative powers but one could only use either the negative or positive powers at once. Her mother though told her that a powerful sorcerer could use both at once, and since then Itza's only objective was to find the 7 Chaos Emeralds. To make this short she talked to me once and I tried to convince her to let go of her obsessive goal. It was no use. While I was live she was never capable of having the Chaos Emeralds, but somehow the past has changed. Someone went to the past and tracked down a Chaos Emerald and gave it to Itza allowing her to go to the present. That person also told her that it would be easier to find the emeralds in the present and that she would be able to fulfill her dreams. That is how she came to your present. The only way to bring her back to the past is to find the remaining emeralds and with all of them force her to go back. This will also suck the energy she has taken out of the emeralds and change the past to what it used to be. You must be quick…" Tikal enlightened Amy as clearly and quickly as she could.

"Wait, Tikal. Who was the person who went back to the past?" Amy asked as she saw Tikal's figure fading.

"The one who sent the robots… at the ball…"

"Who was that?" She asked almost impatiently.

"A new enemy… Amy before I leave I must tell you one last thing. Follow your heart… this is very cliché but it's also very true. Love is pure, innocent, you know that. You might think you're confused right now, but your heart has already chosen… Good luck!"

"Tikal wait!" Amy yelled and stood awake. She looked around the room to find Shadow staring blankly at her and Tails standing at the door looking incredulously.

"Sorry… I just had a dream with… uh… Tikal. Basically she told me to find the other Chaos Emeralds fast because they are the only way to bring Itza back to the past and change everything. Oh she also told me we have a new enemy… but this was only a dream," Amy blurted thinking neither of them would believe her.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's get moving!" Tails cheered as he left the room. Amy looked at Shadow. _My heart has already chosen… who?_


	15. Chapter 14

Chapter 14-

Three hours later, Sonic was still guarding the room Itza was imprisoned in while Shadow was training near the train station and Knuckles was telling Amy what Shield had told him. Amy quickly told him about Tikal as well. Without warning Tails barged into his workshop and into the living room where Amy and Knuckles were. Thanks to the amount of noise Sonic left his post and decided to see what was going on. Shadow also appeared a few seconds later.

"What was that Tails?" Amy yelled.

"Sorry if I scared you guys, I just have great news," he informed them and rapidly showed them two Chaos Emeralds. "I got one of them from GUN headquarters, but promised I'd give it back and the other one from Station Square's national bank where it has been secured for a year. They told me I could keep it if I wanted to."

"That means we only need to find two more!" Sonic exclaimed.

"Glad to know that you can count," Shadow remarked with a smirk

"Very funny…" Sonic replied. A loud noise was heard nearby in the house which alarmed Sonic.

"Oh don't tell me you left _her _unguarded?" Shadow yelled as he ran towards the room she was in. He kicked open the door and was confronted with an empty room.

"I'll go look outside," Sonic told the others as he sonic sped out of the house. Amy tapped Tails's shoulder.

"Get the other Chaos Emeralds… we have to bring her to the past now. There's no time to waste," she whispered. He nodded and ran to another room. Amy looked around her to find that she was alone. With a sigh she ran outside where she guessed the others were.

Outside near the workshop Sonic was homing attacking Itza, who was trying to run away, and Shadow was preparing to join the fight along with Knuckles. Tails appeared next to Amy with the Chaos Emeralds and handed two of them to Amy. Amy walked closer to the fight scene, followed by Tails, and yelled,

"_The servers are the seven Chaos. Chaos is power. Power is enriched by the heart. The controller is the one that unifies the Chaos._And light is what makes the heart go on. Love, friendship, honor, liberty, innocence, good, right, all is one. All is light. The light lies in the heart. I beg of you, Chaos Emeralds; bring this person back to the past!" The five Chaos Emeralds were shinning violently and abruptly flew upward and round Itza. A blinding light circled her and within seconds she was gone, leaving the five Chaos Emeralds behind with full power. Tikal's spirit appeared from the heavens in front of Amy who was pouting. Sonic, Shadow, Tails and Knuckles stood next to her.

"Well done Amy…you were able to send her back with only five emeralds. You should be proud. There is more to you than meets the eye, but some of you already know that right? Thank you," and ever so quietly her spirit vanished. Amy's legs began to falter as her face became pale driving both male hedgehogs' attention on her.

"Are you okay?" Sonic asked and then Amy fainted. Worried Sonic picked her up and ran into the workshop followed by the other three. He lay Amy on the couch and ran into the kitchen to fetch a cup of sugary water. He came back to the room and softly shook Amy who was starting to regain consciousness. He handed her the cup once she opened her eyes and she gladly accepted it. After drinking the water she looked at Shadow who was standing next to her looking ever so worried.

"Guys… could you leave me alone with Shadow for a few minutes?" She asked. Tails and Knuckles left immediately and after some hesitation Sonic left as well.


	16. Final Chapter

Chapter 15- Final Chapter

Shadow kneeled down so he was at the same level as Amy. He stared into her deep jade eyes and was lost in their enchantment. His crimson eyes sparkled giving Amy the hope and strength she needed during those few minutes. Amy sighed causing Shadow to look away from her mesmerizing eyes.

"Could you Chaos Control us to some place else? Anywhere you want," she asked softly. Shadow nodded without hesitation and picked up one of the emeralds nearby that Tails had brought with him. Quietly, and somewhat caringly, he spoke the words 'Chaos Control'.

Both of them appeared near the Mystic Ruins waterfall under the starry night sky. Amy sat down near the water and gently touched it. Shadow imitated her and then looked at her angelic face. As if guessing his anxiety Amy looked into his profound eyes.

"Lying to myself won't help me escape. It is true that my heart has already decided," she began softly.

"What do you mean?"

"Tikal, when I dreamt of her, told me that my heart had already decided who I loved and that I was simply unaware of it. It's true."

"I see…" and then there was silence.

"Would you like to know who my heart has decided?" She asked breaking the silence. Shadow nodded in response. "Alright." She stood up and took off her boots, along with her socks, and head band. She turned toward the lake and yelled,

"For him I'd do anything. I'd be simple, I'd be brave, I'd be loving and caring, I'd be strong and fight against anything and everything, I'd defend him always even if it meant getting myself hurt. For him I'd do the most crazy thing," when she said that last sentence she 

jumped into the air and then yelled, "It's you, Shadow." And she dived into the crystalline water. Surprised by her actions, and mostly her confession, he quickly took of his hoover shoes and socks. He looked up at the lake and saw her coming to the surface.

"I can say the same thing about you, Rose," and he joined his love.


	17. Alternative Ending

Alternative ending-

"_Are you okay?" Sonic asked and then Amy fainted. Worried Sonic picked her up and ran into the workshop followed by the other three. He lay Amy on the couch and ran into the kitchen to fetch a cup of sugary water. He came back to the room and softly shook Amy who was starting to regain consciousness. He handed her the cup once she opened her eyes and she gladly accepted it. After drinking the water she looked at Shadow who was standing next to her looking ever so worried._

_"Guys… could you leave me alone with Shadow for a few minutes?" She asked. Tails and Knuckles left immediately and after some hesitation Sonic left as well._

Amy looked at Shadow and sighed. His crimson eyes observed her every move and noticed her nervousness. Regaining her strength Amy looked at him in the eyes, softly but showing only friendship.

"I'm sorry… but now I know that… that I don't truly love you. You deserve better. I'm so sorry Shadow… I still have feelings for—"

"Sonic? That faker? Very well." Was all he replied after Amy's confession. He left the room slowly and when he reached the door he Chaos Controlled away leaving Amy near tears. Sonic, who had been listening behind the door, opened it with a soft smile.

"I'm glad you still do, because I love you too," he replied as he picked up Amy from the couch. Amy giggled, bringing her tears back.

"Oh Sonic, you even made a rhyme! How cliché, but cute!"

"Hehe… anything for you Ames, anything for you," he whispered as he placed a kiss on her left cheek. Blushing madly Amy looked at Sonic and whispered,

"Is this a dream?"

"No, but you can call it a dream come true."

**This ending was done for all Sonic x Amy fans who wanted this story to end as a SonAmy. Although this is only the alternative ending I thought I should include it!**

**I hope you enjoyed by story and if you did please let me know! Thank you for the reviews and for being so supportive!**


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